The Year After He Disappeared
by kenzie0809
Summary: What if Harry Potter hadn't returned from the Third Task? Harry's disappearance shakes the wizarding world. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione lean on each other for support. Will Harry ever return? If he does, how will things have changed?
1. Memorial Service

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters…JKR does. (But all of you knew that already:P)

**A/N: This is just a start to a story I might continue if anyone likes it. It's about the end of Harry's fourth year, and what would have happened if Harry hadn't returned from the graveyard. Some details from the Goblet of Fire will be changed, however. Also, the story will flash back to night of the Third Task, and then go on to the future…**

Dark, grey clouds covered the sky, stretching for miles. Although it was early September, a harsh, cold wind whipped across the castle grounds. A few thousand people had gathered on the grass in front of Hogwarts Castle, including the entire student body of Hogwarts. Witches and wizards from all over the globe had traveled to attend the sorrowful event that was taking place on a cold, June morning.

Hermione Granger stood in the front row of the sheer amount of people, holding on to her best friend, Ron Weasley. Hermione's head was buried into Ron's chest, and fresh, unending tears flowed down her face. Ron, who was suffering just as much pain and grief as his best friend, wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl and stood solemnly; he stared straight ahead, almost never blinking.

Dumbledore looked even more sad and tired than anyone; the old man slowly walked up onto a small, wooden stage in front of the crowd to a small wooden podium.

Those in the front could see that the great wizard had deep, purple circles under his eyes which made him look as if he had not sleep in a week.

With a tremendous effort, Dumbledore raised his head and scanned the crowd. A silence bore down over all of the castle grounds. Finally, Dumbledore began to speak.

"Thank you for coming today," the old man began, in a surprisingly calm voice after everything that had happened in the past few months. "All of us have gathered here, at Hogwarts, to mourn the loss of a beloved wizard—Harry Potter."

At Dumbledore's mention of Harry, Ron jerked his head up, and began to stare at Dumbledore. Ron felt tears welling up behind his eyes, but refused to let them fall. He had lost his best friend last June, and was now attending a memorial service for him. Ron and Hermione had spent the entire summer hoping for the smallest ray of hope, the tiniest bit of news about their best friend. The entire wizarding world had mourned the loss of their hero since June, and ceaseless searches for the-boy-who-lived continued through out the summer. Now, as a new September approached, the searches became less and less frequent, and the wizarding community seemed to give up all hope.

Hermione lifted her tear-stained face up and looked into Ron's eyes. "We shouldn't be here, Ron," Hermione choked out. "He's not gone."

Ron frowned and sighed. "I know Hermione. I don't want to give up hope either. I don't want to be here, and I don't want to just forget about Harry either," Ron whispered quietly. "We'll continue fighting, and I know _all_ of Harry's close friends are going to fight with us."

Hermione nodded her head, being unable to speak through her tears.

"…Last June, Harry Potter was unfortunately kidnapped by a group of Death Eaters, while fellow Triwizard Champion, Cedric Diggory was killed…"

Ron barely listened as Dumbledore spoke-hearing the things Dumbledore would say about his best friend would be too much to handle right now. That horrible night in June had been chaotic. Both Ron and Hermione had cried the entire night, and neither of them had slept at all during the night. The weeks and months following had been just as bad. No one could walk through Hogwarts without seeing a sad gloomy face, or a girl crying on someone's shoulder. Ron himself had remained a mess for the next week until he realized that he had to be strong for everyone around him. When summer vacation started, Hermione stayed with the Weasley's at the Burrow, and moped around with Ginny; both of them hoping for some small bit of news about Harry. Unfortunately, no news had come. Not in the first week, or the second, and not during the whole summer.


	2. A Horrible Night

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, JKR does.

A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers! Reviews are very much appreciated! And I know the first chapter was short (this one is too, in a way), but I'm very busy right now—even though it's summer. Lol. Anyways, I will try to make all my chapters longer! D (I'll also try to update sooner, too!)

Ron's thoughts began to drift back towards that horrible June night. Although it had been months since, the memory was still etched in his mind as if it was yesterday.

A flash of gold pierced the dark night; a loud thud followed. Footsteps pounded on the soft, grassy ground, and screams erupted into the pitch-black air. Chaos erupted in the stands as hundreds of people began to push to leave the area as quickly as possible. An uneasy feeling had settled in the air, and everyone was anxious to depart.  
A tall figure with long, silver hair ran forward from the crowd, his deep plum robes billowing out behind him. His hands seized the limp body that lay on the ground and turned it over. For a moment, all Dumbledore could do was stare at the dead body of Cedric Diggory, with his right had still clutched around the golden Triwizard Cup.  
Cornelius Fudge quickly appeared at Dumbledore's side, with concern carved into his face.  
"Dumbledore," Fudge whispered, "he's not-"  
"Dead, yes," Dumbledore finished.  
"My God," Fudge replied, stunned.  
These words echoed over and over throughout the crowd, causing even more pandemonium.  
"Dead?"  
"Cedric, dead?"  
The crowd pushed farther and farther in; everyone trying to see what was going on. Fudge hopelessly tried to hold the crowd back by shouting ("Please, stay back!"), but was failing miserably.  
"Dumbledore, the Diggory's are here, in the stands—Amos is running," Fudge told Dumbledore in a worried voice. "You have to tell him…before-"  
"Cornelius, please remain calm," Dumbledore replied, his bright blue eyes blazing, with an edge of uneasiness in his voice. The old man's usually endless patience was wearing thin.

"Ron!" Hermione cried, trying to keep hold of him in the jerking crowd. "What's going on? Is Harry all right?"  
Ron grabbed Hermione's forearm and pulled her towards him. She stood on the tips of her toes, desperately trying to see what was happening in front of the crowd.  
"I don't know," Ron cried, standing on his toes as well; his height was helping him very little. "I can't see anything!" he shouted, as he became more and more worried every second.  
"Ron, what if something bad has happened to Harry?" Hermione questioned, tears forming in her eyes. The two of them were near the back of the crowd, and news of Cedric Diggory's death had not reached them yet.  
"Hermione, I don't even want to think about that," Ron yelled over the noise of the crowd. "I don't think I could handle that right now."

Professor McGonagall hurried over the center of the crowd, brushing away the loose strands of her hair which was usually pulled into a tight bun. Dumbledore immediately turned and faced her. "Minerva, I need to you to please get the crowd away from here. Send everyone back to their dormitories, and make sure they stay there," Dumbledore told McGonagall quickly and seriously.  
McGonagall was unable to say anything, and simply nodded. She turned on her heel, pulled out her wand, and muttered, "Sonorus."  
Meanwhile, Dumbledore lifted the body of Cedric onto a stretcher with his wand, and lead the sobbing Diggory's and Cornelius Fudge towards the castle.

"Will everyone please remain calm!" McGonagall shouted, her voice magically made many times louder. "Please return to your dormitories and wait there for any further information. Prefects and Head Boy and Girl, please make sure that all students go back into the castle and into the dorms. Cooperation from everyone is necessary!"

Ron dragged a tear-streaked Hermione through the crowd. It was all he could do to keep himself from breaking down, but he knew he had to be strong for Hermione.  
"Come on, Hermione." Ron said gently. "We're going to find out what's happening."  
Although the swarm of people had begun moving towards the castle, Ron still pushed his way through all the people, pulling Hermione behind him. Ron ignored the protests from the people beside him, and made his way to the front of the crowd where a strict, but frantic looking Professor McGonagall stood.  
"Professor-" Ron began.  
"Weasley," McGonagall replied, "you and Ms. Granger need to return to the Gryffindor common room and stay there until you are given further instructions."  
"But-"  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" the older women cried, as streams of students continued to walk past them, staring curiously. "Many things need to be accomplished, Mr. Weasley, and full cooperation from all students is essential. The events off tonight almost certainly mean that the wizarding community will be moving in a darker direction. Now, please head back to the castle immediately."  
Ron opened his mouth to say something back to McGonagall, but thought better of it after seeing the look on McGonagall's face.

Once Hermione and Ron were out of earshot of McGonagall, Ron began a loud, lengthy rant. "I can't believe McGonagall! I mean, we have a right to know what's going on, especially since this is about Harry! We're Harry's best friends, and he is nowhere to be found! I can't believer Dumbledore won't even talk to us! I-"  
"R-ron!" Hermione shouted, choking on tears that were rolling down her face. "Shut up, okay? I'm worried enough about Harry! You are not helping matters. If Dumbledore or McGonagall or someone wants to talk to us, which I'm sure they will eventually, they will come and get us! So please, just SHUT UP for a little bit!" At this point, the pair of them had reached the Gryffindor common room; Hermione flung herself into an armchair and burst into tears.  
Ron, who was extremely shocked that Hermione had yelled at him like that, stood frozen in front of Hermione; his mouth hung open.

After staring at Hermione for a minute, Ron half-leaped onto the arm of the chair Hermione sitting on, and threw his arms around her; he comforted her in the best way he could.

Hermione, grateful to have a pair of comforting arms around her, and buried her head into Ron's robes.

Over an hour passed before a harassed-looking Professor McGonagall entered the somber Gryffindor common room. All eyes in the room followed McGonagall as she walked towards the middle of the common room, and stood in front of the fire; she solemnly gazed at the sad and confused faces before speaking.

Hermione, who had fallen asleep on Ron's shoulder, awoke when Ron shifted his weight a little bit.

"W-what's h-happening?" she asked Ron quietly. Not a word had been spoken in the last 45 minutes in the Gryffindor common room, and a few curious faces turned to see who had broken the silence.

"I don't know, Hermione," Ron whispered back, staring at McGonagall.

"The Triwizard Tournament was meant to be exciting and fun, for all three schools that participated in it this year. However, tonight made this goal impossible," Professor McGonagall began, in a slightly shaky voice. "Many of the events that have occurred tonight are still unknown, and countless wizards have begun working tirelessly to figure out what has happened. However, the body of Cedric Diggory was returned to Hogwarts earlier this evening-"

Several people gasped at the mention of Cedric Diggory; although everyone knew of his death, just the slightest mention of his name sent many into uncontrollable tears.

"-Harry Potter has not returned, and I urge all of you to continue to search for him."

At Professor McGonagall's words about Harry, silent tears started to fall down Hermione's already tear-streaked face.

After a slight pause, when no one said a word and the only thing that could be heard in the common room was the sobbing of a handful of students.

"Professor Dumbledore will address the school tomorrow at breakfast," Professor McGonagall continued, her voice becoming more and more unstable. "Until then, all students are required to stay in their assigned common rooms unless advised otherwise by a teacher." McGonagall turned away from the students before wiping a tear away from her eye. Quietly and quickly, she walked out of the common room without another word.

The fire had begun to die down, seeing as it was in the early hours of the morning; however, every Gryffindor continued to sit in semi-darkness. Hermione continued to cling to Ron for comfort. Ginny, who had been sitting a corner by herself, holding her knees to her chest, dragged herself over to where Ron and Hermione sat. Both Ron and Hermione moved so that Ginny could sit on the other side of the chair; Ron wrapped his arm around his terrified, crying sister.


	3. End of Term and a Nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…it's all JKR's…but you all know that. D

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They are appreciated! Please review if you read this!

The next morning dawned cold and grey; it was if the skies knew that the hero of the wizarding world had disappeared, leaving his loved ones behind to mourn.  
Ron sat stony faced in the Great Hall, with Hermione and the rest of the Weasley's surrounding him. Across the Great Hall, he spotted Cho sobbing; Ron thought that with Cedric dying and Harry disappearing she was allowed to cry as much as she liked.  
A grave looking Dumbledore stood up in front at the front of the Great Hall; most students weren't eating anything, and the few that were eating, were picking at the food on their plates. Only the Slytherins seemed to be enjoying the delicious food the house-elves had provided.

As Dumbledore began to speak, Ron tuned the Headmaster out; anything that Dumbledore would have to say, Ron already knew. Last night, Dumbledore had taken Ron and Hermione into his office once most things had settled down. Although Ron had yelled quite a bit at Dumbledore, seeing as he was exhausted and wanted Harry to come back, the headmaster had remained calm. Hermione had in a wooden chair in the corner, watching Ron with terrified eyes; she had barely said anything.

Dumbledore had told the pair about the "real" Mad-Eye Moody and they had been taught by one of Lord Voldemort's most faithful servant's, and about Karkaroff being a death. Both men had fled last night, during the third task, and the top Auror's were searching for them. Most importantly, Dumbledore told them that Cedric been murdered by Lord Voldemort, and that Lord Voldemort had returned to full power.

Ron and Hermione had walked silently back to Gryffindor Tower after the meeting with Dumbledore. They returned to any empty common room, and Ron and Hermione told each other they were going to bed. However, neither of them had slept at all.  
Gasps from the students and teachers in the Great Hall brought Ron out of thoughts; he knew that Dumbledore had just told them about Voldemort returning.

"…Anyone with any information on the events of last night is urged to step forward. Complete anonymity will be assured, of course," Dumbledore explained. "One can only hope that it will lead us to finding Harry Potter."

"Come on, Hermione." Ron said, pulling her arm, "Let's go."

Hermione nodded; Dumbledore had just finished his speech, and she didn't feel like staying in the depressing Great Hall.

As they walked out of the Hall, Ron and Hermione spotted a gang of Slytherins standing near a flight of stairs.

"Ron," Hermione warned as they approached. She knew Malfoy, who was in the center of the circle, would probably say something horrible. "Just ignore him."

Ron ignored her, and continued to walk towards the knot of Slytherins.

"Ah, it's Weasel and the Mudblood!" Malfoy shouted across the Hall, which caught the attention of all the occupants of the Great Hall.

Within a second, Ron had grabbed his wand from inside his robes and was glaring at Malfoy.

"Ron, don't!" Hermione said pleadingly, struggling to hold him back.

"So it looks like Potter finally died!" Malfoy yelled. "About time too, I don't think I could've stood him much longer! Pity you and Granger couldn't have died with him!"

At Malfoy's words, Hermione released Ron from her grip and stalked over to Malfoy. With all her might, she slapped him across the face; Hermione slapped him even harder than the previous year. The sound from her slap echoed through out the Entrance Hall, and a bright red handprint remained on Malfoy's face. Everyone in the Entrance Hall fell silent and stared at Hermione.

"You little effing -------"she screamed, in the most un-like Hermione voice as possible. "Don't you ever say anything like that ever again! Now, get out of my sight, and leave me alone!"

Hermione continued to stare at Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins until they turned around and scampered down towards the dungeons.

Without another word, and ignoring the stares she was receiving, Hermione stormed up the stairs towards the Gryffindor common room.

"Wow, Hermione," Ron, who was running to keep up with Hermione, said in awe. "I can't believe you just slapped Malfoy again, especially after you told me not to fight him!"

"Ron," Hermione explained, "the maggot went too far with what he said."

The few days left of term passed slowly and painfully. Holding classes had been attempted, but barely any student or teacher in the castle felt like learning. After two painful days of classes, Dumbledore finally announced that classes for the rest of the year would be canceled.

Searches for Harry Potter continued, but produced few and disappointing results. Although no one (except the Slytherins) dared to say it, hope for finding Harry was dissipating, but nobody seemed to want to give up looking for the-boy-who-lived. Even Muggles had been informed of Harry Potter's disappearance. His face covered newspapers and TV screens around the world.

The disappearance of Harry Potter and the return of Voldemort sent the entire wizarding world into a depression. The wizarding world had not yet been attacked, so it seemed as if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named hadn't returned to full power. However, protection guides were sent out to wizarding families, and everyone became extremely cautious.

Term ended at Hogwarts on June 30th, and the students returned to their homes. The Burrow, which was usually loud and chaotic, became unusually quiet and somber. Hermione had moved to the Burrow a week after term ended; she now spent her days in a quiet atmosphere with the Weasleys.

_Hermione walked down a cold, dark corridor. A feeling of uncertainty filled her entire body. She knew that she was unwelcome here, wherever 'here' might be._

Down the passage way a bit, Hermione could see two small, bright orange dots; she assumed they were torches and slowly made her way towards the light.

When Hermione reached the torches, she saw an archway looming in front of her. She also noticed shadows on the walls which were created in from a fire inside the room. Carefully, Hermione peered around the corner of the door. A dark figure lay crumpled on the stone floor at the far end of room. With quick glance at the rest of the room to see if anyone else was there, Hermione swiftly hurried into the room and over to the figure.

Hermione let out a gasp when she saw that the body lying on the floor had messy, raven hair. "Harry?" she whispered, hoping with all her might that this body wasn't Harry's.

"Oh!" Hermione cried softly as she turned the person onto his front. Looking back at her was one of her best friends—Harry Potter. His face was extremely pale, and made his scar stick out more than usual on his face; the light from the fire cast a strange glow across his face. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. He looked thinner than the last time Hermione had seen him, and his robes were filthy.

"Harry?" she said once again, more frantic this time. "Harry, come on! Wake up!" Hermione checked his pulse; she found one, but it was faint.

Hermione heard footsteps approaching from the hall. She dropped her best friend's wrist and anxiously looked around the room for a hiding place or way to escape.

The small, stone room didn't have another door or any windows; however, the fireplace stuck out quite a bit into the room, and Hermione crouched down next to the right side of the fireplace. As long as whoever came into the room didn't walk more than halfway into the room, she wouldn't be spotted.

Breathing hard and sweating, Hermione desperately tried to make herself smaller as the footsteps reached the room.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," said a cruel, women's voice softly. "Are we awake?"

Hermione stiffened as the mysterious women walked forward. Fortunately for Hermione, the women did not look to her right.

"Wake up, Potter!" the women shrieked. She had long, black hair, a thin, pale face, and wore long, black robes.

The fourteen year old on the floor began to stir. Hermione noticed that his bright emerald eyes stood out brightly on his chalk-white face. He immediately spotted Hermione, and eyes became wide with fear. Hermione shook her head at him, as if saying, 'Don't worry about me.'

"Potter," the black-haired women spat. "Do you wish to cooperate now? Or do need a little bit more convincing?" The women pulled her wand from the pocket of her robes, and began to play with the wand; she wore a smirk on her face.

Harry lay on the floor, unable to get up. He shook his, telling the women that he would not cooperate.

"Very well," the women said, sighing. "The Dark Lord will wait until you are ready."

"I'll never give up," Harry managed to croak out in a hoarse voice.

The women laughed; a high-pitched, malicious laugh. She raised her wand and shouted, "CRUCIO!"

Hermione screamed louder than she ever had in her life. She felt as if the pain from the curse was running through her veins.

"Hermione! Hermione!" a worried voice cried. "Are you okay?"

The bushy-haired teenager opened her eyes. Darkness surrounded her and she was breathing hard. Ron and Ginny sat on the edge of her bed, looking extremely worried. She could hear more people walking through the house coming to see what had happened.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ginny asked. "Why were you screaming?"

Hermione sat up in her bed, with sweat dripping down her face; her breathing still hadn't slowed. 

"Hermione," Ginny said again. "_What happened?_"

"It was a dream," Hermione stated quietly, "a horrible dream."

"Who was it about?" Ron asked tentatively.

After a moments silence, Hermione replied, "Harry."

A stunned silence filled the room as Ron and Ginny stared at Hermione, open mouthed.

A few seconds later, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, and Sirius walked into the room; all of them looked worried and were carrying candles.

"Hermione, dear," Mrs. Weasley asked gently. "What happened?"

"I just had a nightmare, that's all," Hermione replied quickly. "I'm fine now, really."

"Are you sure dear?" Mrs. Weasley prompted. "You look awfully white."

"Who was your nightmare about?" Lupin asked Hermione.

"No one," Hermione replied hastily. "I don't even remember the dream now."

Ron and Ginny both glared at Hermione, but she shook her head at them, as if to say, "Not now."

All four adults continued to look concerned over the teenager, but exited the room anyway; Ginny, Ron and Hermione were left in the darkness once again.

"Hermione, why didn't you tell them about your dream?" Ginny asked in a somewhat severe voice. "It might have been important!"

"How would you know if the dream was important, Ginny? I haven't even told you about the dream yet." Hermione replied airily.

"Yes, but you're going to now, aren't you?" Ron said, looking at Hermione questioningly.

"Of course I am," Hermione said, and immediately began telling her friends about the dream.

When she had finished, Ron was staring at Hermione with his mouth open, and Ginny was on the verge of tears, with her had over her mouth.

"Hermione, that's horrible," Ginny finally said after a tense minute.

Hermione nodded but didn't say anything; she was still shook up about the nightmare.

"But it didn't really happen, did it?" Ron asked, looking even more worried than before.

"I don't know," Hermione replied, shaking her head.

More silence followed Hermione's statement as the three teenagers thought about the dream.

Hermione was the first to break the silence. "Ron, Ginny," she began, looking at each of them. "It's late, and I'm tired. Why don't we all go to bed, and we can talk about this tomorrow."

"Okay," Ginny replied, and Ron nodded.

Ginny got up and walked over to her bed in the spacious room, and Ron walked towards the door of bedroom.

"Night," he said, as he opened the door.

"Night," both girls replied.

"Lock the door, Ron, will you?" Hermione asked.

"Okay."

As Ron walked into his dark bedroom across from the girls' bedroom, he felt as if something was missing. He remembered to lock his door as well; he didn't want Kreacher to come in. As he climbed into his bed, he glanced at the empty bed next to him. _If Harry were here, he would have that bed_, Ron thought. _But Harry's not here,_ Ron reminded himself. _Thinking of the way things would be is not going to bring him back._

A few days after Hermione had moved into the Burrow, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had had a serious talk with the Weasley children and Hermione about spending the summer in a different house, one where the children would be helping out with an organization called the Order of the Phoenix. Everyone had agreed to go immediately.

At first, the children hadn't liked Number 12, Grimmauld Place (even though it was Sirius' house) because of the feeling of it being a dark wizard's house. However, after they had worked tirelessly on cleaning up the place, they eventually liked Grimmauld Place.

The Headquarters of the Order were extremely busy on most days, and people always seemed to be coming and going. The Order worked on fighting Voldemort, as well as finding Harry. Because the Ministry of Magic accepted the return of Voldemort, current members of the Order could recruit more and more people. The Order became stronger and bigger each day, and soon they outnumbered Voldemort's followers by at least 10:1.


	4. A Surprising Headline

The next morning Hermione woke up to a grey, cloudy sky, and throbbing headache. She hadn't slept much last night because of the nightmare she'd had about Harry. Just thinking about the dream made her shiver.

"Hey," Ginny greeted Hermione as she looked over at her.

"Hi, Ginny," Hermione replied, slowly climbing out of bed.

"Hermione, you've got to see this," Ginny said, holding up a copy of the _Daily Prophet_; Ginny looked extremely worried.

"What is it, Gin?" Hermione asked who was now moving faster.

Ginny didn't reply; instead the red-head pushed the paper into Hermione's hands. Hermione's eyes became tremendously wide as she stared at the headline, her mouth hanging open.

The first third of the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ was covered by thick, black letters that read:

**BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN**

**ALL ARE WARNED TO BE ON FULL ALERT**

Under the headline, pictures of several wizards and a witch were staring up at Hermione and Ginny. Hermione's eyes were immediately drawn to the witch's picture; she had immediately recognized the dark haired witch.

"Ginny, that's her!" Hermione shouted, pointing at the picture of Bellatrix Lestragne. "That was the witch in my dream last night!"

"Are you sure, Hermione?"

"Dead sure." Hermione replied; a tense silence followed her words.

"Ginny…" Hermione began, still staring at the _Daily Prophet_. "You don't think this has anything to do with-"

"Your dream?" Ginny finished, looking at Hermione.

"Yeah."

"I don't know, Hermione," Ginny replied. "It could—maybe your dream _was_ real."

"Don't say that Ginny," Hermione said, shuddering. "I don't want to think about the things in that dream happening to Harry."

"Me either," Ginny responded, hugging her knees to her chest. "I just think it might be too much of a coincidence _not_ to be connected to your dream."

When their door opened suddenly, both girls jumped and looked towards the door.

"Oh, hey Ron," Ginny said. "You scared us!"

Ron gave his sister an odd look. "I scared you? What were you doing? Something you're not supposed to be?"

"No. We were just discussing something. Look at this," Hermione told Ron, shoving the paper into Ron's face.

Ron took the paper and began to read the front page. With each sentence, his eyes became steadily wider. By the time he had finished, his face was pale and his eyes were wide.

"Ron, that witch, Bellatrix Lestrange, was the witch in my dream last night." Hermione said.

"But then the dream couldn't have been real, could it?" Ron asked his face now pale. "I mean, if she's been in Azkaban all this time, how could she-"

Ron broke off, not wanting to finish the sentence. Ginny shook her head and remained silent.

"When did the breakout happen?" Hermione questioned suddenly, reaching for the newspaper, which was now sitting on her bed where Ron had set it.

"Last night," Hermione whispered quietly.

That means you're dream couldn't have been real, Hermione!" Ron stated, looking a little bit more excited.

"No, Ron," Hermione responded, "it doesn't mean that. What it means is that my dream could be the _future_."

The two siblings in the room stared at Hermione, open-mouthed and silent.

A creaking on the stairs made the children jump once again. Mrs. Weasley pushed open the wooden door all the way and walked into Hermione and Ginny's bedroom.

"It's time for breakfast, you three," Mrs. Weasley said smiling. "And then we're going to continue cleaning this house."

"Okay, thanks Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said. "We'll be down in a minute—we just have to change first."

Mrs. Weasley looked at the three children, all of whom who were still wearing pajamas. "Why do you three look so pale and scared?" Mrs. Weasley asked curiously.

"Oh, no reason, Mum," Ginny replied quickly. "We're fine, really."

Mrs. Weasley glared suspiciously at her daughter. "Ginny, dear, you don't _look_ like your fine. Does this have something to do with last night?"

"No, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione answered. "It's nothing really. Last night was nothing too. It was just a silly dream. We're all just a bit tired. You know—we're all worried about Harry."

Mrs. Weasley smiled slightly. "Of course dear, I understand. I imagine that you three are extremely worried about Harry, as is everyone in this house. Nobody has been getting much sleep lately," Mrs. Weasley responded kindly. "Why don't you come on downstairs and have a decent meal. The members of the Order are trying their best to find Harry, and I'm sure everything will be okay soon."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny all forced themselves to grin at Mrs. Weasley to convince that they were okay, even if they weren't.

After a delicious, but subdued and hurried breakfast, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, and Sirius gathered in the drawing room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place to continue their cleaning of the house. Every face in the room was sad, and every one of them missed Harry terribly. Even Fred and George were unusually quiet.

"Any news of Harry yet?" Fred asked Sirius quietly, after the silence in the room was too much to handle.

Sirius shook his head slightly, his dark hair falling into his face. "No," he muttered. "Nothing at all."

Ron and Hermione, who had been looking at Sirius, quickly averted their eyes when Sirius answered.

"Do you think I should tell someone about the dream?" Hermione whispered worriedly to Ron so that only he could hear.

Ron shook his head. "No."

Hermione looked unsure, but returned to the window she was wiping dust and dirt off.

"But Ron," Hermione began after a few minutes silence. "What if the dream was important? How can I just sit back while and keep this a secret while there's no leads on Harry?"

"Hermione," Ron replied quietly, so no one else could hear. "We've already decided that the dream couldn't have been real. There's no point in worrying about this. The breakout from Azkaban was just last night. There's no way that the dream could've happened if Bellatrix was in prison the whole time."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Mrs. Weasly cut her off. "What are you two whispering about over there?" she asked, looking at the pair of them.

"Nothing important, Mum," Ron said. "Just stupid stuff."

"Well, okay. Just as long as your talking doesn't stop you from cleaning. I think everyone would appreciate it if this place was a bit cleaner," Mrs. Weasley said.


	5. One of the Many Uses of Extendable Ears

**A/N: I'm leaving for vacation tonight, so this will be my last post till July 31st or August 1st. I'll be taking my notebook with me on vacation so I can write more story and then when I get back, I'll have lots of story to post for my readers! D**

As the evening wore on, many people began arriving at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. All of them were members of the Order of the Phoenix, and most of the witches and wizards greeted the Weasley children and Hermione warmly. Although Mrs. Weasley wouldn't allow any of her children or Hermione to come anywhere near when the Order had a meeting, she did permit them to meet all of the Order members.

"Hey Tonks," Ginny said waving as she walked into the room. The teenagers had meet Tonks on the first day they had arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place; all of them had immediately liked her.

"Hi!" Tonks replied. Today her hair was bright, electric blue and shoulder length.

"Is there a meeting tonight, Tonks?" Ron asked, staring at her bright hair.

"Ron, how thick are you?" Ginny asked. "Why else do you think all the Order members are coming here tonight?"

"Shut up Ginny," Ron replied, blushing.

Tonks laughed. "Yes, Ron, there is a meeting tonight," said Tonks. "And it's a very important one too. All members are required to attend, and almost everyone will be giving reports. I expect that this meeting will last for a coupled of hours," Tonks added with a sigh; she didn't look too thrilled about having to sit in a meeting for hours.

"Well I don't know what you're complaining about," Fred replied. "I'd love to get into one of those meetings."

"Yeah, that would be cool," Ron stated. "But Mum won't let us near one."

"Well, I should think not," Lupin said as he walked into the room where the Weasleys, Tonks and Hermione stood. "You lot are too young, and you're not in the Order."

"But Fred and I are of age!" George cried. "We'd love to join!"

"No," said Lupin firmly. "You're still in school and you're mother would never approve. Being in the Order is extremely dangerous, and there are too many things that you lot wouldn't understand."

George muttered something darkly that no one could understand.

Lupin smiled and said. "Well, come Tonks. We should be in the meeting now."

"Okay," Tonks replied; she turned and followed Lupin down the hallway.

Moments later Mrs. Weasley appeared in the doorway. "I want all of you upstairs now!" Mrs. Weasley stated loudly.

"But Mum," Fred whined, "why can't we just stay down here?"

"There's a meeting tonight, and I don't want you lot hearing anything!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

"But-"

"No 'buts!' Get upstairs _now_ and stay there until the meeting is over!" Mrs. Weasley yelled loudly. "And do be quiet on the stairs! I don't want anything woken up," she added before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

Ron began muttering under his breath as the teenagers climbed the stairs. Ginny and Hermione frowned and climbed silently up the stairs.

When they reached Ginny and Hermione's room, Ron followed them in. However, the three of them sat glumly in chairs and said nothing.

After a few minutes of silence, two loud 'cracks' filled the room; Hermione, Ginny, and Ron jumped. A second later, Fred and George sat on either bed in the room.

"What are you doing in here?" Ron asked, staring at the twins.

"Well, we thought that you three might want to listen in on this meeting," George explained, looking around the room at his siblings and Hermione.

"But how are we going to do that?" Hermione asked. "You know Mrs. Weasley won't let us anywhere near the meeting room."

"We know that Hermione," Fred said. "But if we use are Extendable Ears we _won't_ have to go near the room."

Hermione looked slightly nervous at the idea of going behind Mrs. Weasley's back, but interested all the same.

"Well, ok, I suppose a little listening wouldn't hurt," Hermione replied, watching Fred and George as they pulled flesh colored string from their pockets. "But if we're caught-"

"We won't be caught, Hermione," Ginny said reassuringly, taking an Extendable Ear from Fred.

Once everyone had an Extendable Ear, the five of them made their way quietly onto the landing of the stairs.

"…Bill, have you got any of the Goblins convinced?" asked someone.

"I don't know. Most of them are still mad about the Bagman cover-up that the Ministry did. You know—Bagman owed them Galleons and Galleons, but he never paid them a Knut. A few of them are leaning towards our side, but there are others who are trying to convince them that joining Voldemort would be a good idea. Personally, I think they have it better on our side…"

"We'll simply have to try harder," added another unrecognizable voice. "We're going to need some help from non-human creatures if we want to win this war against Voldemort-"

"We're not in war yet!" cried the person who had asked Bill about the Goblins.

"Well we're pretty damn close!" Moody's voice cried.

"Anyways," said the speaker who had been interrupted, "the Dementors are already outside of Ministry control. We can't let Voldemort take control of every other non-human creature. If we did, the entire wizarding community would be destroyed…"

Suddenly, without any warning, the bottom stair creaked.

Fred swore and Appariated, as did George. Ginny, Hermione and Ron pulled the Extendable Ears out and ran into their rooms.

Ginny and Hermione had just pulled out a pack of cards to play Exploding Snap when the door of their room opened and Mrs. Weasley walked in.

"Hello girls," she greeted. "You weren't trying to listen in on the meeting where you? I thought I heard something on the stairs."

"No, Mum," Ginny replied. "Hermione and I have been in our room the entire time.

"Well, okay. Did you hear anyone else on the stairs?"

"No, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione replied.

"Okay, just stay up here then. I'm going to check on the others."

When Mrs. Weasley had left the room, both girls sighed.

"Thank God she believed us," Hermione said, her hand resting on her chest.

"Yeah, I know," Ginny replied, setting down her cards.

"I don't think we should try that for awhile."


	6. Nightmare 2

**A/N: I got back early from my vacation so now I can post earlier for my readers! Yay! Also, thanks all my reviewers! D**

**goddessa39****: Ironic, isn't it? Hermione wasn't remotely good at being a "Seer" in Divination, but now she's having these "future" dreams about Harry…**

Hermione collapsed into her bed and immediately fell asleep, even though it was surprisingly early in the evening; there days Hermione usually slept fitfully and uneasy at Grimmauld Place because she was constantly worrying about Harry.

At once, her mid led her back to a familiar stone castle.

_Hermione stood in the hallway, next the door frame of the room where Harry lay. The haunting, orange glow from the fireplace was cast into the hallway by a fire._

_Although she didn't hear any sounds, Hermione remembered her last dram and cautiously peaked through the door and into the room._

_Her best friend, Harry Potter, lay on eth floor in a heap in the far corner of the room; Bellatrix Lestrange, the dark-haired woman from her last dream, stood in the middle of the room, laughing cruelly. Her wand was clutched in her hand and pointing at Harry._

_Instead of sneaking into the room, Hermione turned on her heel and walked (rather reluctantly) down the hall; she had seen and heard enough of Bellatrix's power to know that she did not want to be caught sneaking around by her. Hermione's palms became steadily sweatier as she continued down the hall, occasionally throwing anxious glances over her shoulder._

_As soon as Hermione was sure she was out of ear shot of Bellatrix and Harry, she broke into a run. Although her footsteps echoed loudly off the walls of the stone castle, no one come running and demanding to know hwy she, a mere 14-year-old girl, was doing in this castle._

_She ran for minutes, quickly becoming short of breath. However, she continued to run down corridor after corridor, finally slowing to a walk near the only window she had seen so far inside the castle. _

_Hermione rested her elbow on the window sill and looked out into the rolling green hills that surrounded the castle and seemed to continue forever._

_Night was setting on the castle, but the blood-red sun was covered by dark grey storm clouds that were gathering in the western sky. A vicious looking hawk soared past overheard, which alerted Hermione even more to the immense danger she was in._

_Hermione backed away from the window and looked around her. To her right stood a dark and eerie corridor that twisted and turned; the torches on the walls that had lit her way so far were ominously absent. ON her left, a spiral stone staircase stod, leading to a place Herminie could not see._

_Within seconds, Hermione choose to take the stairs; she didn't like the idea of walking sown an unknown corridor which had no lighting what-so-ever._

_Cautiously, she crept down the twisting staircase; as she rounded the last corner, Hermione saw a bright orange glow flickering off the walls which Hermione knew came from a nearby fire. As she approached the landing, two evil-sounding voices reached her ears._

_"Has that Potter boy given in yet?" a voice spat._

_"No, I've been trying but-"a female voice started, which Hermione recognized as the witch's from the room above her-Bellatrix Lestrange._

_"You know that the Dark Lord will not be happy with this. _He_ wanted it to be done tonight!" the first voice snarled back._

_Quietly, Hermione crept forward so that she could see the room in which the two Death Eaters sat. She gazed into the large room, her eyes falling upon a huge stone fireplace on the wall to the left of her—larger than anything she'd ever seen before. A cluster of deep red velvet chairs sat around the fire on top of a patterened rug that lay on the middle of the room. The rest of the room remained dark, undecorated, and gloomy. Both Death Eaters sat in chairs, with their backs to Hermione._

_"I know what the Dark Lord wanted!" Bellatrix snapped. "And I am doing the best that I can!"_

_A loud crack filed the air, telling Hermione that someone had just apparated into the room. Both Death Eaters in the room jumped as an evil looking man materialized in front of their faces. He was completely bald and had red eyes._

_'Now, now Bella," the man said softly. "There's no need to shout. I happen to be in a good mood tonight, and if Potter is not willing to cooperate now, we can wait a bit longer. I would like to spend at least another week here anyways."_

_Both Death Eaters wore shocked expressions and gaped at their master._

_"But my Lord-" Bellatrix started, finally regaining her voice._

_"No Bella," Voldemort replied, holding up a thin, long finger. "Once Potter has served his purpose, he will be killed and disposed of. No one from that meddling Ministry of Magic or Order will be the wiser—both groups will continually work against each other and persist with their searches for Harry Potter. This of course, will take time away from discovering more of my followers," Voldemort finished with a smile._

_"But my Lord," the male Death Eater asked, standing up, "is it wise to stay here much longer? If we are caught-"_

_Voldemort's eyes flashed with anger. Laoughing, he replied, "We will not be found. The Aurors from the Ministry are not clever enough to find us, and even if they managed such a task, we would be long gone. None of them have even figured out that Potter is still in England, much less alive. All it takes is for a Death Eater to plant a few 'clues' for them to follow and they will search._

_"Do you not think that I, Lord Voldemort, could defeat a group of Ministry Aurors? Are you questioning my judgment, Nott?" Voldemort asked menacingly, his red eyes flashing more than ever._

_Nott watched as Voldemort drew his wand and began playing with it. "Of course not, my Lord, I only meant-" Nott replied hastily._

_Voldemort smiled and pocketed his wand. "I thought so, Nott," he said loftily. "But be sure to never question my judgment again, or there will be consequences."_

_"Yes my Lord," Nott muttered, bowing._

_"Now, Bella, why don't you go and see if you can persuade Potter?" Voldemort added, looking around at the dark woman._

_Hermione gasped loudly from her hiding spot; immediately her eyes opened and once again, she found herself surrounded by darkness._

"Ginny!" Hermione whispered urgently as she sat up, " I need to talk to you."

Although it was dark, Hermione could make out Ginny's face and bright red hair as she sat up too. "Hermione? What happened in your dream?" Ginny questioned, guessing correctly about what Hermione wanted to talk about.

The next morning at breakfast, many members of the Order crowded around the table in the stone kitchen of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, all of whom seemed to be excited about something.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked curiously to Tonks as she, Hermione and Ron filed into the kitchen.

Tonks, who had her infamous short, bubble gum pink hair today, answered brightly. "We've gotten a tip-off that Voldemort and his followers might have Harry in Russia!"

Ron flinched at the mention of Voldemort and dropped the piece of toast he had been buttering.

Hermione and Ginny ignored him, and instead turned their attention to Tonks.

"Really? How do you know it's not a fake—what if the tip-off was planted by a Death Eater?" Ginny asked, glancing at Hermioen out of the corner of her eye.

"It's been double and triple checked," Tonks replied cheerily, helping herself to some breakfast. "we're having a group go out today."

"Russia?" Ron repeated faintly, finally regaining his voice. "But Hermione, you said that in your dr-"

Both Ginny and Hermione made odd hushing sounds at Ron, who had been filled in on the contents of Hermione's lastest dream the moment he had woken up.

"What was that, Ron?" Tonks questioned, looking curiously at Ron.

'Oh it's nothing, Tonks," Hermione replied quickly. "I just had this dream that Harry was back with us, that's all. It was just a silly dream."

"Silly or not Hermione, dreams can be very helpful," Tonks explained.

"I know, I've read about them," Hermione replied convincingly. "This dream wasn't anything special, really."

"So what are we cleaning today?" Ginny asked before Tonks could say anymore on the subject.


	7. Discussions and Disappointment

"I wish we could've gone to find Harry," Ron stated wishfully, as he, Hermione, and Ginny sat upstairs talking that afternoon.

"They won't find him," Ginny muttered quietly.

"How do you know?" Ron asked sharply. "Are you suddenly a Seer too?"

"No, I'm not, Ron Weasley," Ginny spat back, glaring at her brother. "Hermione's dream said that Harry was in England."

"Well, even if the dreams are real, I expect that it's going to be quite dangerous-"

"Hermione! We've handled loads of dangerous stuff before!" Ron cried, shocked. "You're not telling me that you wouldn't want to go see Harry if the Order's got him?"

"Of course I would!" Hermione said loudly. "I just meant that we would probably just be in the way of Order! I don't want to jeopardize the Order's chances of fining Harry, and neither should you Ron!"

Ron blushed severely and mumbled something about not meaning what he said.

"That is, _if_ Harry is in Russia," Ginny said. "You know what happened in you dream, Hermione!"

"Yes, I do, Ginny! But I also remind you that we have no proof that nay of these dreams are real!" Hermione cried, waving her arms in frustration.

"Hermione! How can there dreams _not_ be real?" Ginny shouted. "I for one can't _believe_ that you're refusing to tell anyone in the Order about this! Maybe we'd find Harry if you just helped!"

Ginny, who had previously been sitting on top of her bed, was now standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at Hermione. Hermione looked a bit frightened, and her voice wobbled a bit when she spoke.

"Well, I…I thought that," Hermione began. "The Order has enough to be going on with without having to worry about un-real dreams, I think!" Hermione finished, a pink flush now creeping up her face.

There was a brief silence in which Hermione glared at Ron and Ginny until Ginny spoke. "That may be so, Hermione, but I still think you need to tell someone-"

"NO," said Hermione firmly. "Just drop it."

"Hermione?" Ginny said tentatively after another awkward silence; Ron remained silent on the other bed.

"What Ginny?" questioned Hermione, rather irritably.

"I—I just—do you think that these dream are meant for you because—I mean do you think that you have a connection with— " Ginny stuttered, blushing. "Do you think that you're; seeing these dreams because you and Harry were—were—you know, going out?" finished Ginny, blushing harder than ever; Ron had immediately perked up at the mention of Harry and Hermione going out. (A/N: And this is where I start to get away from the Goblet of Fire, and where some of parts of GoF have been changed…)

Hermione blushed harder than Ginny. "I don't know, Ginny, maybe…" muttered Hermione, looking anywhere but Ron, who stared at his feet and looked annoyed.

A wave of memories flowed over Hermione. After her relationship with Viktor Krum had ended in spring, (both still remained friends) Harry and her had begun going out in April. Nearly every girl in the castle (including Ginny Weasley), and Ron was fuming at this new couple's relationship.

Although going out with the-Boy-Who-Lived was wonderful and amazing, Harry and Hermione had been extremely careful not to reveal their affection for each other too much in front of Ron, who became extremely irritated with the pair of them whenever this occurred.

When no one said anything for a while, the three of them, all of whom were blushing, returned downstairs to continue cleaning Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

That night at Number 12, Grimmauld Place was somber. The members of the Order had returned without Harry and without any further clues as to where he might be.

"Nothing—absolutely nothing there," they had reported upon returning. "Not even a trace of magic there. The tip was a fake, meant to lead us away from Harry."

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione had been too stunned and saddened by this news to even say, 'I-told-you-so;' however, Ginny glare at Hermione pointedly throughout dinner, as if daring her to say something to the Order.

Over the next few weeks, no lead s on Harry's' case appeared, nor did Hermione have any mo re dreams bout Harry. This was a relief for her, but at the same time, she became worried that something awful had happened to her best friend.

The entire wizarding community began to notice many strange things happening. Igor Karkaroff, ex-headmaster of Drumstang, was found dead, less than a month after he'd fled from the Death Eaters. Tightened security sprang up everywhere, yet wizards and muggles alike continued to die in "freak" accidents, as the Muggle news put it. Harry Potter's face was constantly being shown on Muggle and Wizard New around the world, yet the boy-who-lived remained lost. The Ministry, who was as useless as ever, had not arrested anyone; thought they had been trying their "hardest."

The Order also had spies, as was expected of Voldemort as well. Although, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione never had it confirmed, the three of them believed that Snape was working for Voldemort as a spy. Thankfully, Snape only stopped by headquarters for important meetings, and never stayed long. The other day, Lupin had confided in the three that the reason that he hadn't been around headquarters much was that he was indeed acting as a spy for the Order amongst the werewolves.

Over time, Ron and Hermione became steadily closer to each other, yet none of the m brought up the idea of dating. The thought of betraying Harry, gone or not from their world, was too much too bear for both of them.

"Today would have been Harry's birthday," Hermione sighed at breakfast.

"What do you mean, _would have been_?" snapped Ginny, annoyed that Hermione was saying something that all of them knew was true, yet no one wanted to admit it. "Today _is_ Harry's birthday, and wherever he is, he's turning 15."

Hermione fell silent at Ginny's words, drowning in her thoughts of Harry and what the day would have been like if Harry was here. Her face reddened a bit as a few thoughts crossed her mind, in which Harry and she were alone together.

The sky outside Number 12, Grimmauld Place was dark and gloomy, and black storm clouds released rain onto London the entire day. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione sat around the entire day, none of them speaking much. Mrs. Weasley didn't even try to force them to continue cleaning headquarters; she didn't even seem to have the heart.

Even the one thing that could cheer everyone up on the 31st of July seemed destined to fail.

The Order had found a castle in Northern England that appeared to be empty. As Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were not allowed in meetings, they only knew that the castle appeared to be empty. Also, if the castle is empty, wizards were most definitely there because magical traces were lingering all around.

"Well, whoever was there—or is there—obviously doesn't care if they're found, because there are ways to conceal the traces that magic leaves behind; of course, magic isn't _entirely_ concealable," Hermione stated as they sat in the drawing room, which they had finished cleaning a few days ago.

"But it's weird, isn't it?" Ginny replied. "I mean, this castle just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. How did the Order miss searching this castle, especially if Dumbledore is helping?"

"I haven't got a clue," Ron responded. "You know, maybe the Order just overlooked it on accident. It is possible, you know."

Hermione looked doubtful and said, "No, I don't think so. There are too many great witches and wizards in the Order for that too happen. No, it must've been Unplottable, or some other charm on it. I highly doubt that there's anyone or anything in that castle anyone."

"Well, I suppose you're right Hermione," said Ginny, "but I'd really rather that Harry or some sort of clue was found in that castle."

"I think we all would like that, Ginny," Hermione replied. "In all honesty though, the other side's got smart wizards and witches on their side, too. They wouldn't be stupid enough to stay in that castle now."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but Ron spoke first. "Do you think that it's possible that the castle the Order's searching is the one in your dream, Hermione?"

"Hmm, I guess it's a good possibility," Hermione answered back. "You-know-who _did_ say that they were England. And if it is the castle, I do hope that I won't have to suffer through any more of those horrid dreams," Hermione added, shuddering.

When a group of ten Order members returned that evening, looking tired and weary, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron crowded around them.

"How did it go?" Hermione asked with baited breath, hoping for something she was almost sure wasn't going to happen from the looks on the Order's faces.

Lupin forced a small smile towards Hermione. "I'm afraid to say that we didn't find anything except traces of magic," he said, gently pushing his way into the stone kitchen.

Hermione dropped her head and muttered, "Oh."

The hopeful grins from every face faded quickly.

"Are you quite sure there was nothing?" Ginny asked, still clinging on to a small bit of hope.

"Yes," Lupin answered, sinking into a chair around the wooden table. "We checked _everything_."

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione also sat in chairs around the table; all of them looked glum, and Hermione was on the verge of tears.

"Look, I know you're all disappointed but we're going to find Harry eventually," Lupin explained, even though he wasn't entirely convinced. "If we didn't try, and didn't use the clues we've gotten about Harry, where would we be? I'd rather have clues that turn up empty than no leads at all. At least at this rate, we're getting closer."

None of the teenagers responded, and the kitchen fell silent, though there was at least twelve other adults in the kitchen too.

"Why don't you three go on up to bed?" Mrs. Weasley said. "It's been a long, trying day for everyone, and I think we could all use a good night's sleep."

Again, no one said anything, but Ron nodded and stood up; Ginny and Hermione followed him up the stairs.


	8. Dreams and Visions

Hermione lay in her bed in the dark, tears streaming down her face. She wished Harry was there to comfort her, and put his arms around her. _If Harry were here, you wouldn't need anyone to comfort you_, Hermione thought.

Hermione tossed and turned for over an hour before falling asleep.

_A dark, dim_ _cave sat over a deep, blue-green sea. A small ledge surrounded the outer perimeter of the cave, and white-foam waves continually crashed against the side of the jagged black rocks. _

_Hermione stood in front of a small opening in the wall which led into the dark cave. Looking over the tiny ridge she stood on and into the raging sea below, Hermione quickly ducked into the dark cave. _

_Hermione stood in one spot until her eyes adjusted to the darkness. As soon as she could see, Hermione set off quietly on the only path in the cave. She walked downwards and kept a look-out for any signs of danger. _

_ Soon, Hermione encountered an opening along the path. Again, an orange fire cast an eerie glow around the entire vicinity. Opposite Hermione, a lone, dark figure sat crouched. As she crept further into the room, the figure became clearer. Hermione let out a loud gasp and clasped her hands over her mouth. The figure in the corner was held against the wall with binding ropes. He was thinner and paler than the last time she had seen him, and he bore bloody scars all over his body. His robes were torn, and his hair was untidier and longer than Hermione had ever seen it. This was her best friend, Harry Potter. _

_Her gasp had awoken the teenage boy from his restless slumber. His emerald eyes met hers, and they widened. "Hermione!" he gasped, struggling to speak; his voice sounded hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in a while. _

_"Harry, I—I—"Hermione stuttered. "What Happened? Where are we?"_

_"You have to get out of here, Hermione," Harry rasped, his eyes still wide. "Before they come back—if they find you—"_

_"But what about you Harry? I have to get you out of here!" Hermione protested. "I'm not leaving you here!"  
_

_"Hermione, this isn't real life! You aren't REALLY here, but you can still see what's going on. You can't save me—at least not now. You're in danger here Hermione, and you can't get caught!"_

_"But, if I'm not really here, then how—"_

_"I don't know, Hermione! I've heard them talk! They know these things, and if you're caught, there'll be trouble!" Harry cried, although Hermione still had to strain to hear his voice. "I won't have you caught!"_

_"Harry, who are 'they?'"_

_"The Death Eaters and Voldemort! I don't want you killed by him! I don't want to give him that satisfaction! You have to go, now!"_

_"I—but—"_

_"Hermione! I love you, and I couldn't stand to see you dead! Please, get away from here!" Harry said desperately. _

_Hermione stared at her best friend silently. He'd only said 'I-love-you' to her a few times before, and only said it when the time was right. In fact, those had been the last words that he'd said to her before disappearing into the maze for the Third Task._

_"I love you too, Harry," she replied softly, backing up slowly. "We're trying our best to find you, Harry!"_

_As Hermione continued to back away, her voice turned into a mumble that no one could understand. _

_Hermione took one last look at her boyfriend and her best friend before turning away. His beautiful emerald bore into hers. When she at last turned away from Harry, she found herself back in the dark bedroom at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. _

Hermione spent the next few hours in Ron and Ginny's comforting arms, sobbing.

"I thought these dreams were over," Hermione moaned over and over, tears streaming down her face again.

Ginny wrapped her arms around her crying friend, hugging her tightly. "It's going to be okay, Hermione," Ginny said reassuringly as she, Hermione and her brother sat in the darkness of the bedroom.

"No, it's not!" Hermione choked out, sitting up and pushing Ginny away. "If I can get hurt in my dreams, everything is _not _going to be okay, Ginny!"

"But dreams can't hurt you, Hermione!" Ron stated who still looked shocked even though Hermione had finished explaining her dream to him and Ginny half an hour ago.

"I know Ron," Hermione replied, staring at her feet. "That's what I don't understand about it. Dreams aren't real. I can't possibly understand how I could've gotten hurt in that dream. It's just not possible, but Harry was so dead set on me leaving and getting out of danger."

"Well, what if these aren't really _dreams_?" questioned Ginny.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, turning to look at his sister questioningly.

"I mean, what if these are more like _visions_, and not dreams," Ginny explained, looking back and forth between Hermione and Ron; both of them were staring at her. "Because Hermione's right—dreams can't hurt you. But if these weren't dreams, that could explain it. Maybe there's a connection between you and Harry, and You-Know-Who knows it, and can somehow reach you through these visions you're having."

A moment of silence followed Ginny's words while both Ron and Hermione contemplated this theory.

"Do you mean to tell me that Hermione's going to have to have a guard around while she sleeps so that if You-Know-Who _does _try to take her, they can stop it?" Ron asked sharply.

"No, of course not! I didn't mean that, Hermione," responded Ginny, nodding at Hermione to show her she was telling the truth.

Hermione pulled her knees to her chest on the bed, a few tears still shining on her face; she didn't look happy at the thought of Voldemort attacking her while she slept.

"You could be right, Ginny," Hermione said quietly. "Although I'm not overjoyed that You-Know-Who could appear in my dreams or visions, whatever they are, swoop down and take me away."

Once again, silence filled the entire room. Hermione finally broke the quiet with a query.

"But Ginny, how on Earth would Harry know about this supposed connection between him and me—if there is one?"

Ginny looked puzzled. "I don't know, maybe he can feel a connection or something."

"Or maybe You-Know-Who really does know about this, and Harry overheard him talking about it to somebody," Ron added, looking excited at the idea he'd had.

Hermione shook her head, disbelieving. "I don't think that would happen, Ron. I don't think You-Know-Who would boast about his plans to everyone, even if they are his Death Eaters."

Their discussion steadily declined, until it faded out completely. By then, rays of light had begun creeping into the room, as the three of them had been talking for hours. Hermione had calmed down enough to go downstairs for breakfast; although she was still shook up. After splashing cold water on her face, and trying to lessen the redness in her eyes, Hermione followed Ron and Ginny down to the kitchen.

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	9. Getting Through August

The days of August slipped by quickly, still without any sign of Harry. Many in the wizarding world seemed to have given up of finding the Boy-Who-Lived, but as Ginny, Hermione, and Ron told each other, they would _never_ give up on Harry; not as long as Hermione kept having her dreams, anyways.

The 11th of August marked Ginny's 14th Birthday, and the members of the Order prepared a small celebration for her. Ginny found herself wondering if Harry would have bought her a present if he had been there. _He's Hermione's boyfriend, _she told herself over and over again. _Besides, he doesn't like you like that._

Despite the fact that everyone had a reason the be unhappy in Number 12, Grimmuald Place, Ginny's party was the most fun any of them had had in a long time. Mrs. Weasley cooked an amazing dinner, and finished it off with a huge cake with homemade frosting on top. Almost everyone from the Order attended as well. Ginny decided that it was good that everybody had a night were their minds weren't thinking about Harry for once.

However, the slight happy feeling that Ginny's birthday celebrations had created didn't last long. Less than a week after Ginny's Birthday, their letters from Hogwarts arrived; this only lessened the bit of happiness still inside Ron, Hermione and Ginny. None of them said it, but all of them thought the absence of Harry's letter wasn't a good sign.

A week before term started at Hogwarts, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George were lead into the drawing room by Lupin and Sirius.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked as soon as Lupin has shut the door.

Lupin smiled weakly. "Sit down, please," he said, gesturing to a couch in the room. He and Sirius sat in chairs across from them.

"We wanted to tell you five," Sirius began, "that since we haven't—"

"—Found Harry," Lupin finished, somewhat hesitantly; Sirius looked as if he didn't want to say anything, "that there's going to be Memorial Service held in Harry's memory on the first day of term at Hogwarts."

The Weasley's and Hermione stared at Sirius and Lupin in a stunned silence.

"What?" Ginny cried, breaking the silence. "Does this mean you're giving up on Harry?"

"No, that's not what we mean at all!" Sirius cried back, standing up to face Ginny, who had stood up as well.

"Well, what do mean, then?" Fred asked, standing up too.

"We didn't even set this up," Lupin replied. "We're just merely telling you so that you know."

"But it makes it seem like your giving up!" Ron stated. "We can't give up on, Harry! He has to be out there somewhere!"

"Look, you lot," Lupin said. "It's been more than two months without any leads, and let's be honest— I don't want to give up on Harry either, but we should have found _something_ by now."

"Don't say that you think Harry's dead!" Ginny snarled, tears forming in her eyes.

Lupin opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the other Weasley's screaming at him.

Hermione sat quietly in the corner as the Weasleys' screamed at Sirius and Lupin, tears forming in her eyes as well.

Ginny glanced in her direction, but Hermione made an effort not to look at her.

"Hermione, I think you have something to say—" Ginny started after the yells had ceased.

"Oh don't be harping on me again, Ginny!" Hermione shouted, standing up, tears falling from her eyes. With that, Hermione stomped across the room, ripped open the door, and slammed it shut with a loud bang.

The room fell silent, as they all stared at the door. Ginny let out a frustrated sigh, and stomped out after Hermione, slamming the door as well.

"What was that about?" Sirius asked curiously.

"I don't know," Ron muttered, looking away and blushing.

"Goodness, what's all this noise about?" Mrs. Weasley asked, smiling and walking into the room.

Fred, George, Ron, Lupin, and Sirius all mumbled, "Nothing."

Hermione stomped up the stairs, not caring if she woke up Sirius' mother's portrait. Her face was red and shining with tears, and her fits were curled into balls. She was sick of everything and everyone right now. She was sick of crying, sick of not knowing where Harry was, sick of the stupid dreams she was having, sick of Ginny always pestering her about the dreams, and sick of fake leads.

Once she got to her room, Hermione wrenched open the door and slammed it behind her. She threw herself on her bed, with tears falling faster and thicker down her face.

"Why doesn't any adult _ever _listen to teenagers? Why don't they think it's possible that we _could possibly _be right about something for once?" Hermione cried in frustration. "I don't think I can live without him," added Hermione, in a quieter voice, more tears sliding from her eyes.

Hermione lay in her room for the rest of the night, miserable as ever. Ginny had enough sense not to bother Hermione when she walked into the room late that night, although she felt horrible herself.

The rest of August went by quickly, and soon September 1st was upon them. The day dawned grey and cloudy, reflecting the Weasley children and Hermione's moods.

Fred, George, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all walked with Order members to King's Cross, where they would board the train on Platform 9 ¾; though the start of a new term usually brought plenty of opportunities for conversation, no one said a word as the group made their way to King's Cross. While getting on to Platform 9 ¾, the only words spoken were those that were deciding who would go first, second, and so on.

"Good-bye!" Tonks called to the teenagers. "Stay safe and have a good term!"

Hermione and Ginny both nodded, both looking glumly at their feet, while the twins and Ron said nothing.

Mrs. Weasley was busy hugging everyone, and had tears forming in her eyes. "Oh do be careful, you lot," Mrs. Weasley said in a slightly choked voice. "What with everything going on—" she began, shuddering.

"We will, Mum," Ron muttered, glancing toward the train.

"Yes, Mum," Ginny said, looking up. "There's no need to worry about us—just as long as you lot keep us updated on Harry's case."

"Don't worry about that, Ginny," Lupin replied, smiling small. "We'll tell you what we can put into a letter—we wouldn't want any Death Eaters intercepting our information. I suppose if anything big happens, you'll hear about it in the Prophet, though."

"Yeah, and like we'd trust that paper?" Ginny muttered darkly, walking away towards the train.

"Well you lot had better get on the train now," Tonks suggested, gesturing towards the scarlet steam engine. "We'll see you tomorrow, then—" Tonks added, looking as though she wished she hadn't brought it up.

The remaining Weasley's and Hermione turned their backs the minute the idea of tomorrow was brought up—none of them had forgotten that Harry's memorial service was going to be held tomorrow at Hogwarts, after the days' classes.

Once on the train, Fred and George walked off to find their friend Lee, looking depressed. Ginny found an empty compartment and was soon joined by Neville and then Luna Lovegood abruptly after, who she introduced to Neville. Ron and Hermione went off to the Prefect meeting and then joined Ginny and the others shortly after lunch; both of them were promptly introduced to Luna as well.

The ride was unusually silent, and as the day wore on, the sky became darker and gloomier. Although all of them were miserable, Ron felt especially sad as he had never ridden the Hogwarts Express with his best friend, Harry. He stared out the window for most of the ride, talking to no one. Even the excitement of being a Prefect hadn't lasted long, although he had received a gift from his mother for it.

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione stepped off the train without a word. Students surrounded them, calling out cheerful greetings to their friends that they hadn't yet met on the train, although the wizarding world was still dark and frightening.

"How are yeh three?" Hagrid's booming voice called out to Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Hagrid held up a lantern that cast a yellow glow across his face, and a group of timid looking first years surrounded him.

"We're—we're—" Hermione started, but couldn't finish.

Hagrid nodded in acknowledgment; he knew how much the three of them had been missing Harry. "I see yeh later, then," Hagrid added as Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were pushed forward by the crowd.

Ginny, Ron, and Hermione silently climbed into a carriage, looking glummer now that they had arrived at Hogwarts; none of them said a word as Neville and Luna climbed into the carriage after them.

Luna made a few attempts at a conversation, but everyone ignored her. Neville, who wasn't as miserable as the Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, looked as if he wanted to answer Luna, but decided not too because the rest of his friends were determinedly staring out the windows.

Fortunately, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny managed to avoid Malfoy completely, although all of them could see him whispering to Crabbe and Goyle at the Slytherin table during the entire feast. Malfoy smirked at the three of them continually as well.

"Just ignore him," Hermione muttered, looking away from the Slytherin table. "We've got enough going on without that git, too."

Ron and Ginny both looked as though they were going to protest, yet both returned to picking at the food on the golden plates in front of them.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said warmly, after the feast had finished.

Usually, Ginny listened intently to Dumbledore's speech, but tonight was different; she barely listened as he welcomed the students and gave out start of term notices. She'd heard most of this three times before anyways. She barely noticed any of the new first years that joined the Gryffindor table during the sorting either. One glance over at her friends told her that she was not alone in tuning out the headmaster tonight. However, Ginny's attention returned back to the headmaster as soon as a babble broke out in the hall.

Looking wildly around, and having no idea what caused the students in the Great Hall to began whispering frantically to each other, Ginny asked, "What's going on?"

Ron looked just as bewildered as his sister and shrugged. "No idea," he muttered.

"Dumbledore just said that Snape would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts as well as Potions," Hermione explained; apparently she had been listening to _some _parts of Dumbledore's speech. "Dumbledore said that he was unable to find anyone else who wanted the job, so every Potions class will be a double period, split with Defense Against the Dark Arts, except for N.E.W.T. level classes. Those classes will be separate—"

"Hermione, a simple 'Snape is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions' would do," Ron said.

"I just thought you'd like to know—"Hermione started, looking frustrated. "Oh never mind!" she snapped.

"So that means Snape's going to have a _very_ full schedule, and he'll be an even bigger git," Ginny stated. "Great," she added dully.

"Well, I expect that classes will be cut shorter now, because there's no way a teacher could teach two classes at once—" said Hermione.

"Now it is time for a talk about more pressing matters," Dumbledore said loudly, which quieted the Great Hall. Once the entire hall was quite, he began to speak again; even Ginny gave Dumbledore her full attention this time. "As you all know, Lord Voldemort has again returned to power."

Several people gasped and flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name, but Dumbledore ignored it. "It is imperative that _everyone _is aware of the immense amount of danger that this situation creates. No one is to go wandering off at any time, and I must impress upon all of you the importance of this. Although many extra security measures have been placed upon the castle, recklessness and rashness from any student could endanger this entire castle. Therefore, I urge you all to be careful, and report anything unusual or suspicious to a teacher inside this castle."

Dumbledore's blue eyes cast a piercing look over the entire hall. He remained silent for a few seconds before continuing his speech. "As many of us may have heard, classes will be postponed for one day. Tomorrow, a memorial service will be held for Harry Potter down near the Lake on Hogwarts Grounds."

Many students looked down when Dumbledore mentioned Harry Potter, but Dumbledore continued to speak. "I will beg you once more that anyone with information will step forward. One can only hope that we will be able to find Harry Potter."

Hermione and Ron were both still staring at the wooden table in front of them, but Ginny glanced over at the Ravenclaw table where Cho Chang sat with tears streaming down her face. A friend of hers had her arm wrapped around her shoulder in a comforting way.

When Dumbledore dismissed them with a goodnight and Ginny stood up quickly, brushing the tears from her eyes.


	10. The Last Dream

On the morning after the Welcoming Feast, when classes usually started, every student in the Great Hall wore dressed robes. Only a handful of students touched the food set out on the tables, and almost every face was sad looking; a low murmur echoed throughout the Hall.

As soon as Dumbledore stood up, all of the conversations that had been going on ceased. "It is time," Dumbledore said, his bright blue eyes scanning the Great Hall. "Please follow your Heads of Houses down to the Grounds."

Without another word, Dumbledore walked down the middle isle in the Hall, with deep purple robes billowing out behind him.

Reluctantly, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny stood up and followed Professor McGonagall out to the Grounds. The three of them glanced over to the left and notice that Snape was leading a slightly smaller than normal group of Slytherins outside; all of them noticed that Draco and his cronies seemed to be missing.

Professor directed the Gryffindors towards the edge of the Lake, where white chairs stood in many straight rows. Ron sat in the front row, with Ginny and Hermione taking a seat on either side of him; he wrapped a protective arm around each of them.

Ginny twisted in her seat, looking at the sheer amount of people who had gathered for Harry's memorial service. The students of Hogwarts had filled into the first few rows, with Harry's closest friends and the teaching staff of Hogwarts in the first row. Many of the witches and wizards in the rows beyond where Hogwarts students sat Ginny didn't know; however, the majority of them looked miserable. Thankfully, Ginny didn't see Rita Skeeter; Hermione had told her and Ron about Rita Skeeter being an Animigius at the end of last term.

Ginny sat on the edge of her row, but as she turned around, she saw that her other brothers and her parents were sitting on Hermione's opposite side. Ginny pulled her robes tighter as a bitter wind whipped through the crowd.

The crowd stood as Dumbledore walked forward to a small podium that stood on a raised stage. An empty tomb was placed to the right of Dumbledore, with flowers surrounding it.

Tears from Hermione's eyes had begun falling right before Dumbledore came forward to make his speech. As the crowd stood, Ron wrapped both of his arms around Hermione, letting her bury her head in his chest; Ginny began crying soon after.

After the service for Harry, the Weasley children and Hermione bade the eldest Weasley brothers and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley a tearful good-bye.

Once Ginny's parents had left, she went up to Gryffindor tower and sat in the common room in silence. A group of her fourth-year friends dragged her down to the Great Hall and forced her to eat something at dinner, and tired hopelessly to cheer her up. At seven o'clock, Ginny went up to bed, but didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.

Soon Hermione and Ron were the last two in the Gryffindor common room. After the only other Gryffindor in the room (a tired—looking sixth year) left, Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"Ron, it's after midnight, and we've got classes tomorrow," Hermione stated, yawning as she stood up. "We should go to bed now."

"Yeah, I suppose we should," Ron replied, looking somewhat reluctant at the idea of leaving the common room. "Maybe tomorrow something will—" Ron added as he walked towards the staircase that lead to the boys' dorms, looking hopeful.

"Yes," Hermione replied, nodding, looking as though she didn't want to get her hopes up too much.

A silence fell between them; after a minute or so, Hermione began walking towards the girls' dormitories. "Well, good night, then, Ron," she said.

"Good night, Hermione," Ron responded, before turning and climbing up the staircase.

Hermione turned away after watching as Ron climbed the stairs. She entered her dark dormitory and quietly shut the door behind her. Quickly she changed out of her robes and into a nightgown.

As she climbed into bed, memories from the days' events engulfed her. She pictured the hundreds of people gathered near the lake, all in dress robes. Hermione remembered the feeling of hopelessness that had filled her body, and the salty tears that had fallen down her face. She thought of sitting in the silent common room, surrounded by Gryffindors and Dumbledore's speech at the memorial service, which she could barely bear to listen too. The same feeling of frustration that everyone else seemed to be giving up on Harry passed over her again as she lay in bed. As thoughts of Ron holding on to her, and letting her cry on his shoulder, soaking his new dress robes passed through her mind, she blushed slightly. To her, having feelings for Ron seemed to be an insult to Harry; after all, the pair of them had been going out before he'd disappeared.

After tossing and turning around for hours, Hermione eventually drifted off into a restless sleep.

_Hermione found herself outside, surrounded by miles and miles of dark green trees. The ground beneath her feet was rocky, and she stood near the edge of a sheer, steep cliff that plummeted down for hundreds of feet. Above her, the sky was dark grey and the air smelled of rain. To Hermione's right stood a dark brown, wooden cabin. _

_Hermione looked over her shoulder before cautiously stepping onto the rickety wrap-around porch and pushing open the wooden door. Glancing around the room she had just stepped into, she saw that shades had been pulled down over all of the windows, flooding the room with a never-ending darkness. No candles lit the room, so Hermione slowly walked across the room, so that none of the floorboards creaked beneath her. _

_On the other side of room, Hermione decided to climb the set of stairs that sat to her right instead of continuing on into the rooms on the ground floor through the doorway. _

_At the top of the landing, Hermione found another hallway that she followed until she came across a door that was ajar. Vigilantly, Hermione pushed open the door and walked inside. _

_The room inside was dark and gloomy, as was the entire cabin, and quite large. Diagonally across from the door, a figure lay in the corner. Hermione approached slowly, hoping with all her might that the figure on the floor wasn't who she thought it was. _

_With a drop of her stomach, Hermione realized who the figure was when she was halfway across the room. She didn't think that her best friend, Harry Potter, could look even paler and thinner than the last time she had seen him in the cave, yet he did._

"_Harry," she hissed, resting a hand on his bony shoulder. "Harry, wake up!"_

_The boy's eyes fluttered open and immediately widened. "Hermione!"_

"_Harry, I've to get out of here," Hermione cried. "If you get up, I can help you out of here—"_

"_Hermione," Harry replied, in a hoarse voice, "you can't help me now. And even if you could, we couldn't get out of here; the forest outside goes for miles and miles. We'd never escape without Apparating or something magical—nothing we could ever do."_

"_But Harry—"_

"_No, Hermione," Harry said. "You've got to listen to me. The Death Eaters are trying to use me to get to you. You aren't safe here—you need to get out now, before something happens. Once they've got you, their plan will work. They'll kill me and you after they're done with you, they'll kill you too. Voldemort knows of ancient magic that can help him become even stronger than he already is and they need you. You mustn't let yourself get caught."_

"_But Harry, why me?" Hermione asked, bewildered._

"_I'm not sure, exactly," responded Harry, looking worried, "but it's got to be of some connection between us. Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be fine—as long they don't have you, I'll be fine."_

"_Harry—"_

"_Hermione, there are others way to help me. Just get yourself out of here—"_

_At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, both of them immediately fell silent. "Hermione, you've got to hide!" cried Harry._

_Hermione looked around frantically, looking for a place where no one would see her. Within seconds, she spotted a closet and hurried into it, peering through a crack in the door._

"_Well, Mr. Potter," said Bellatrix Lestrange as she walked into the room, "who where you talking too? I heard voices."_

"_No one," Harry lied, staring at Bellatrix._

_Bellatrix stared back at Harry. "You're lying," she spat. "Tell me the truth. **Who were you talking to?**"_

"_No one," Harry lied again. "There was no one here."_

"_Tell me the truth, Potter, or I start using my wand," Bellatrix snarled, pulling her wand from the pocket of her robes. "Perhaps your little Mudblood friend Granger was here, and you were telling her that she was danger," Bellatrix suggested, smirking._

_Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She thought that she saw a flicker of surprise flash across Harry's eyes._

"_Yes, Potter, I do know more than you think I do," Bellatrix sneered. "Now, are you prepared to tell me where she is?"_

"_I'll never tell," Harry spat._

"_Very well," Bellatrix said, raising her wand. "CRUCIO!" _

_Hermione watched her best friend cower in pain on the floor; his screams rang loudly through her ears along with her own._

Hermione woke up with tears streaming done her face and sweating. She had jumped out of the bed and walked to the dormitory door before her eyes had adjusted to the light, but she didn't care if she tripped over anything right now. She was tired of these dreams about he best friend and boyfriend being tortured. Hermione was sick of missing Harry terribly, yet doing nothing about it.

Within seconds, Hermione had reached the 4th year Girls' Dormitories.

"Ginny!" she hissed, hoping that she had found the right bed in the dark. "I need you to help me."

"What's going on?" the red-head asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. "Hermione, why are you crying?" Ginny added, becoming more alert almost at once.

Before Hermione knew was happening, Ron had been woken up and told of Hormone's latest dream in the Gryffindor common room. Professor McGonagall showed up soon after, but Hermione had no recollection of who retrieved her.

Fortunately for Hermione, she was not forced to relieve what had happened to Professor McGonagall until after she was dragged up to Dumbledore's office.

"Miss Granger, please tell us what was happened," McGonagall said as she conjured up four dark wooden chairs.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione began, "Since term ended last Junes, I've been having these—well—these _nightmares_ about—with Harry in them…"

For the next half hour, Hermione spoke in silence as she relived each and every dream she had, and every detail she could remember. When she had finished, she broke down sobbing harder than she had ever cried.

"Very well, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "Thank you for sharing these dreams with me. I hope you will do me one more favor before I let you return to Gryffindor Tower."

Hermione looked up at Dumbledore curiously. _What else could he possibly want me to do_?

"I was hoping that you would agree to empty the dreams into this bowl," Dumbledore explained, pulling a bowl filled with a silvery liquid from a cupboard.

Hermione nodded at Dumbledore wearily. "Of course, Professor."

"This is called a Pensive," Dumbledore said. "It holds memories and allows one to look at things from a different point of view. All you have to do is think of the dream you'd like to put in here, Miss Granger, put your wand on your temple, and put it into the bowl."

"Thank you very much, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said once Hermione had finished. "You did the right thing tonight. Miss Weasley and Mr. Weasley, can I ask you to escort Miss Granger back to the common room? I will inform all of any further information I find."

Ron and Ginny nodded at Dumbledore before turning and leaving his office.

"This is all my fault," Hermione moaned once the three of them were sitting in the dark common room. "I should've said something sooner."

"No, Hermione, it's not your fault," Ron replied, wrapping an arm around her. "You can't help it that you had these dreams."

"And we didn't exactly force you to tell anyone about them either," Ginny added miserably, looking down.

"But you tried to, Ginny," Hermione protested, wiping away her tears.

"I know, I should've done more," said Ginny.

"But if I'd told sooner, we might've found Harry, and there wouldn't have been a memorial service for him, and he'd be here with us right now," Hermione said.

"Look, we can argue about this forever, or we can just drop it," said Ron. "Hermione, it's not all your fault, and it never will be. You're going to drive yourself mad if you keep this up."

Hermione didn't say anything, and instead rested her head on Ron's shoulder, a few tears still falling from her eyes.


	11. Many Meetings

The next morning at breakfast, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all stumbled in looking tired—none of them has slept much last night.

Hermione looked the most tired of the group, with deep purple bags under her eyes; she yawned as Fred handed her the schedule of her classes for this year.

"Oh joy, Potions first thing," Hermione said once she had finished yawning. "The last thing I want to do right now is spend two hours with Snape."

"Great…then it's off to History of Magic and Divination after lunch," Ron stated, staring glumly at the timetable in front of him.

"I've got Arithmancy after lunch instead of Divination," Hermione replied, looking slightly cheered up by this fact. "You know, Ron, you really should've dropped it when I did."

"Well good for you, Hermione," Ron retorted. "I hope you get loads of homework off Professor Vector," he added, rolling his eyes.

"Oh please just give it a rest you two," Ginny interrupted. "We've got enough to worry about without worrying about which of you is going to get more homework from your professors."

Both Ron and Hermione opened their mouths to protest, but decided that Ginny was right and didn't say another word throughout breakfast.

Hermione couldn't believe how she managed to get through her classes that day when she half-expected that Dumbledore would come and tell her that Harry had been found dead and that she waited too long to say something about her dreams.

Every teacher spent the majority of the class giving a speech on their approaching O.W.L. exams that would take place in June. Hermione listened, but only vaguely. She couldn't concentrate in Hogwarts—not when every little thing in the castle reminded her about Harry in every way.

"I heard that Potter killed Diggory himself," a fourth year Ravenclaw whispered behind Hermione and Ron as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised about that—especially after what happened a few years back with the Chamber of Secrets," her friend replied, whispering excitedly.

"I don't know," a third friend replied. "Why wouldn't Potter come back afterwards, then?"

"Well of course he wouldn't come back if he murdered a fellow student," the second girl replied. "He had to make it look like he was kidnapped—"

Hermione and Ron quickened their pace, which separated them from the gossiping girls.

"I can't believe people would think that," said Hermione, sighing. "I just don't understand _why_ they would think that."

"Think what?" Ginny asked as she took a seat across from Hermione and Ron.

Quickly, Ron told his sister of the conversation that he and Hermione had just overheard.

Ginny clasped her hands over her mouth in horror. "Oh wow," she muttered once Hermione had finished. "Harry would never—"

"I know he would never do anything like that, but we can't stop people from believing it," Ron replied, looking grim.

"I don't know how much longer I can take this," Hermione stated, burying her head in her hands.

Hermione, Ginny, and Ron sat silently at dinner; all of them were deep in thought. Sighing and pushing her plate away from her, Hermione stood up and picked up her bag.

"Meet me in the common room, okay? I've got homework to do tonight and I want to get started now," Hermione said.

Ron and Ginny nodded. Hermione was just about to walk away when Fred and George walked up to her.

"Hermione," Fred said, handing her an envelope. "I'm supposed to give this to you; it's from Dumbledore."

"Thanks," Hermione replied, taking the parchment from Fred and opening it.

"What does it say?" Ron asked curiously, standing up and leaning over Hermione's shoulder to read the paper.

"Dumbledore wants to have a meeting with me tonight at 8 in his office," said Hermione.

"I wonder what he's found out," Ginny said.

"I don't know. Hopefully some good news," Hermione said glumly. "I don't think I can take any more bad news."

"I guess you'll find out tonight, Hermione," Ron stated.

"Yeah, I suppose I will," Hermione responded, walking towards the doors of the Great Hall with Ron and Ginny following her.

At ten to eight Hermione set down her homework and put her books back in her dormitory. As she set off for Dumbledore's office she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. _What if Dumbledore had bad news for her? What if he told her that finding Harry would be impossible?_ Thoughts ran through Hermione's head until she reached the stone statue that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

After giving the password, Hermione anxiously stepped onto the revolving staircase. Once she reached the top, she knocked on the wooden door and waited.

"Enter," Dumbledore's voice said.

Hermione pushed open the door and walked in.

"Good evening Miss Granger. Please sit," Dumbledore said, gesturing to a chair that he'd drawn up for her.

Without a word, Hermione sat down in the chair.

"So I expect you've been wondering why I've asked you here tonight," Dumbledore stated, his blues looking at Hermione.

Hermione nodded and replied. "Yes, professor, I was wondering if you were able to learn anything—"

"Ah, I thought so," Dumbledore replied. "You've been wondering whether or not I've been able to locate where Harry is."

"Yes, of course, Professor," Hermione replied, stunned.

Dumbledore smiled grimly and said, "I afraid I have good news and bad news."

Hermione nodded, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.

"Unfortunately the dreams that you have received so far will not be sufficient information to find Harry."

Hermione's stomach dropped, and a vomiting sensation raced up her body.

"However, what you have been experiencing, Miss Granger, are not just ordinary dreams," explained Dumbledore calmly. "Harry was right in guessing that a connection exits between you and him."

"If you don't mind me asking, Professor, what sort of connection do Harry and I have, and how does it work?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"Of course I will explain everything to you," Dumbledore responded. "Much of what Harry told you in your visions was true. I am fully aware that Voldemort has a plan to make himself stronger, however, it is the exact details of the plan that I do not know. Voldemort has indeed discovered an ancient magic charm that will allow him to become stronger than ever before, thus giving his enemies an even harder task of destroying him."

"Exactly what the charm does or what it requires to make it work, I do not know. However, I do know the Voldemort would've had to use one who was extremely close with his deadliest enemy."

"Harry did tell you that Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters knew of the connection between you and him," Dumbledore continued. "He, in fact, was right. I presume that Voldemort knew that there would be a connection between you and Harry, yet he didn't know when this connection would occur, otherwise I'm sure that he would've already acted."

"As for what how the connection works and what it is—" said Dumbledore. "Voldemort must have already preformed a part of the charm that would establish the connection. Seeing as you are so close with Harry, Voldemort assumed that such a connection would be the strongest he could make. Voldemort assumed that you would be easily enchanted, and that his plan would work within a matter of weeks."

Hermione stared at Dumbledore, her mouth hanging open a bit.

"Sir, how did Harry know of this connection? Did he somehow guess, or did he overhear the Death Eaters talking?" questioned Hermione once she had recovered.

"My guess is that Harry heard a conversation between Death Eaters. Although Voldemort underestimates many things, I do think he would be careful about the sort of conversations he was around his greatest enemy," answered Dumbledore, a small grin appearing on his face. "Now, Miss Granger, there is one more thing I'd like to speak with you about," added Dumbledore.

Hermione immediately focused all her attention on the headmaster. "Yes sir?"

"As much as I would hate to put you through the torment of going through another horrifying vision in which you meet Harry, I see no other choice if we are ever to find Harry. The areas that you appeared in during the visions—the castle, the cave, and the forest are all of some importance to Lord Voldemort, and I think finding these areas is the key to finding Harry."

"But Professor, even if I were to have another dream about Harry, I couldn't _make_ myself go to a certain place," Hermione stated, feeling flustered at the thought of experiencing another dream.

"Ah, but I have not yet finished, Miss Granger. These are nothing more than visions in your head. Although you can talk to Harry and he can talk back, you are not leaving you bed during these visions, unless Lord Voldemort would find a way to use the connection between you and Harry. These are your visions, Miss Granger. Only you can control them," said Dumbledore.

"I—but—" stammered Hermione.

Dumbledore held up a finger to silence Hermione. "Miss Granger, although I do think that one final dream is key to this case, I do not think that it is safe for you to experience this alone. It is possible that Voldemort has now figured out how to use the connection to his advantage, and will do so if you continue to have these dreams."

"A final and last dream would be under the utmost supervision and many trained wizards will be around while this takes place to step in if anything happens. I suggest that you learn how to control your dreams until then. I, of course, would be more than glad to teach you," Dumbledore explained.

"I would like that very much, Professor," Hermione replied. "But how do I stop myself from having these dreams in the meantime?"

"I will give you the strongest dreamless potion I can retrieve, Miss Granger, until you are completely ready to control your dreams," Dumbledore said.

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione replied, standing up, her heart was still beating incredibly fast.

"Good night, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, smiling.

"Good night, Sir."

Hermione hurried down the deserted corridors, her footsteps echoing loudly off the walls. Her heart began to race as she drew closer and closer to the Gryffindor common room.

Hurriedly, Hermione muttered the password to the Fat Lady; the portrait swung open and Hermione caught a glimpse of two redheads sitting anxiously in chairs facing the portrait hole.

"So how did it go?" Ron asked immediately, standing up and striding towards Hermione.

Hermione gave Ron a small smile. "I was a bit nervous in the beginning because said he didn't have enough information from my visions to find Harry, but—"

"What?" cried Ginny and Ron at the same time, as looks of horror spread over their faces.

"Dumbledore said he couldn't find Harry?" Ginny shouted her brown eyes wide.

"Calm down, Ginny, you didn't let me finish," Hermione replied. "Dumbledore told me that these visions that I've been having can be controlled and that I'd have to have one more dream if we'd ever have enough information to find Harry…"

Hermione began to repeat everything that Dumbledore had said to Ron and Ginny. When she finished, both of them had small grins on their faces.

"That's great Hermione!" Ron cried, before throwing his arms around her.

Hermione grinned and nodded after Ron had let go of her.

"I know, isn't it?" Hermione exclaimed. "I don't want to get my hopes up too high, but still—if Dumbledore really only needs one more dream and it can be controlled to get the information we need, then—"

Ginny let out a small squeal. "Oh Hermione, I do hope that this works!"

"Of course, Ginny, we all do!" Hermione said. "But I suppose that getting the right dream will only be the first part. Then actually finding the spot from the dreams and getting Harry away from the Death Eaters will be extremely difficult."

"Don't go discouraging us, Hermione," Ron said, grinning.

"Ron, she's just trying to state the truth," Ginny replied. "I suppose she's right, though. I cannot wait until though all this is over though. I just want Harry back here," Ginny added quietly, a slight blush creeping up her face.

An awkward silence filled the room after Ginny's words. None of them said it, but the three of them were thinking it, but none of them dared to say it; although they'd all talked about what life would be like with Harry back, each of them knew that it was quite possible that the possibility of Harry never returning existed as well.

"Yes—well—I'm sure—I can't wait either," muttered Hermione, looking down ate the floor. _Was she always going to feel like this? Were her emotions going to be constantly up and then down, and then up again just to be brought back down harder and lower than before? _Hermione hoped not because she hated the feeling more than anything.

"I'm off to bed," Ginny said, yawning after the silence had passed. "Once again we're the only left in the common room at night," Ginny added lightly.

"I'm going to be too," Hermione said. "Good night, Ron, Good night Ginny."

"Goodnight."

The next morning Ginny, Ron, and Hermione walked into the Great Hall and took seats at the end of the Gryffindor table.

"Does the Great Hall seem bigger this year?" Ginny asked, looking around her. "Or is it just because there aren't many people in here right now?"

"Hmm," muttered Hermione, looking up from her toast. "I'm pretty sure that the rooms in Hogwarts cannot be magically expanded for obvious reasons, but I'll have to check _Hogwarts a History._"

Ginny rolled her eyes and looked away, grinning.

"I think Ginny's right—there are less people than normal in here so the room just seems bigger than it really is," Ron stated.

"I wonder why there are not as many people in here," said Ginny. "It's not early or anything; this is usually when the most people eat."

"Enrollment is down for this year, Ginny," Hermione explained. "With all the attacks that are going on, parents don't want their children away from them in case something happens."

"Most of them are afraid that You-Know-Who is going to try to take the school," Ron said quietly.

"How do you know that enrollment is lower this year, Hermione?" question Ginny.

"Well its obvious isn't, Ginny? Look around you," replied Hermione, gesturing around her.

Ginny glanced around the Great Hall again.

"There hasn't been an attack for a while though, right?" Ron asked.

"Well, I expect most of the students who aren't here are because of the attack about a week ago," Hermione said. "You remember, the one over in London, a few days before term started.

"Yeah," Ron replied quietly, looking away.

Ginny nodded, shuddering; the attack had been horrible and killed wizards as well as muggles.

A moment of silent passed before Hermione spoke. "I heard Dumbledore saying that Quidditch and Hogesmeade were going to be discontinued this year," Hermione stated somberly.

"What?" cried Ginny and Ron together.

"You can't be serious Hermione!" Ron yelled. "How are we supposed to have fun?"

"Ron, this is a matter of safety for the students," Hermione replied. "These are Dark Times and we all have to make some sacrifices."

"But still Hermione, Dumbledore must know some ways to protect—" Ginny started.

Hermione shook her head, letting Ginny and Ron know that she didn't want to talk about the subject anymore.

"But—"

"No."

The usual gloominess that filled the castle became increased after Dumbledore announced to the entire school that Hogsmeade and Quidditch would be discontinued for the year the morning after his meeting with Hermione.

"Oh cheer up, you two," Hermione said as the three of them sat in the common room that night.

Both Ginny and Ron looked up at Hermione with saddened expressions on their faces before returning to their homework spread across the tables in front of them.

"I don't understand why you two aren't any happier," commented Hermione when neither responded. "I should think you should be, even though Dumbledore announced that Quidditch and Hogsmeade visits were being suspended."

"Hermione, you just don't understand Quidditch," Ginny retorted. "If you did, you would know how horrible this is on top of everything else we've got going on. Flying is something amazing and relaxing. It was the one thing that could make my day wonderful no matter what happened."

"How would you know Ginny? You don't even play for Gryffindor," Ron asked.

"I know how to use a broomstick, Ron, even if you haven't noticed," replied Ginny. "And I was planning on trying out for the Gryffindor team anyways."

"Why don't you just read a book? It's just as relaxing," said Hermione simply.

Ron and Ginny stared at Hermione.

"Hermione, not everyone has read the entire library-_twice­_-like you. Reading is something that you do for fun. Ginny and I get that same feeling from Quidditch," Ron said.

Hermione just shrugged and began speaking again.

"Well, as I was saying, I think both of you should be happier about today because Dumbledore told me that we're going to the guided dream this weekend," Hermione said.

"You've got a point, Hermione, but I've still got a right to be sad," Ginny said glumly. "I do hope this dream helps us find Harry."

"Don't we all," Hermione muttered, looking down. Truth be told, she was a bit nervous for this whole guided dream thing. _What if something went horribly wrong, or what if this dream didn't help them find Harry? Or even worse, what if in fact they did find Harry, but came to find that they'd come to late, and that he was already dead?_

"Hermione we'd know if Harry was dead," Ginny said quietly, as if reading her mind.

"How Ginny? How would we know something like that?" Hermione asked softly, blinking back tears.

"You and Harry have some kind of connection, Hermione; you know that," Ginny replied. "I'm positive you'd know—you'd feel it somehow. I know you would."

"Ginny—"

"Don't—just accept what I'm saying Hermione. Don't question it, just trust me, you'd know."

"But—"

"No."

Silence fell over the three of them.

"Wow, Ginny. Since when have you become an expert on dream interpretation?" Ron asked.

"I haven't Ron, I'm just using common sense," Ginny replied simply.


	12. The Beginning of the End

Friday, the day that the guided dream would take place arrived, and Hermione found herself not being able to concentrate in class. Each teacher yelled at her at least twice during each class, yet Hermione didn't care. Throughout the whole day, she squirmed around in her desk, not paying the slightest attention to what anyone said to her.

Tonight would be the night that would determine whether or not Harry could be found. She was more nervous today than all the days of her life before this one put together—including her first day of Hogwarts and the Yule Ball.

After picking at her dinner, Hermione sat in the corner of the common room with Ron and Ginny until eight o'clock, when Dumbledore had asked her to meet him in his office with Ginny and Ron. For three hours they sat in near silence, while chaos surrounded them; they'd all talked about tonight's possibilities so many times the subject had been worn out.

At ten minutes to eight Hermione stood up and glanced over at Ron and Ginny. Both of them looked at her and stood up without a word. Hermione nodded at them and wordlessly walked out of the common room; Ron and Ginny followed, looking deep in thought.

As Hermione walked through the empty corridors with Ginny and Ron walking alongside her, she began to think of what would happen if Harry were found. _Things will be so different if Harry comes back--_when _Harry comes back,_ Hermione corrected herself automatically. _Before Harry disappeared, we were dating. What does it mean for "us" when he comes back? Does he even have feeling for me still?_ Hermione's mind flashed back to Ron holding her in his arms, and her stomach lurched. What would Harry think?

"Good evening Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said as the three of them walked into his office after knocking on the wooden door.

"Good evening Professor," Hermione, Ginny, and Ron replied.

"Please take a seat," Dumbledore said, gesturing towards the middle of the room where he drew up three wooden chairs with his wand. "Professor McGonagall and a few other Order members will arrive shortly."

Dumbledore's office looked the same as usual; with the portraits of old Headmasters and silver instruments on small wooden tables, but a few others had been set up for tonight's procedure. A bed had been conjured up from the Hospital Wing, and a bedside table stood next to it; numerous bottles that contained a variety of potions covered the table.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly is this going to work tonight?" Hermione asked, looking towards Dumbledore, while Ron and Ginny continued to stare at their surroundings.

Dumbledore pressed the tips of his long fingers together and smiled. "Of course I don't mind, Miss Granger. I daresay you would have to know tonight's procedure before we start anyways, seeing as tonight being as important as it is."

"First of all, you'll be given a potion that counter-acts the previous dreamless sleep potions you've taken the past few days. This potion," Dumbledore said, picking up a small glass bottle filled with a bright purple liquid, "is extremely strong and will ensure that you have a dream tonight. Most likely, Voldemort is connected between you and Harry and will immediately sense that you haven't taken any dreamless sleep potion tonight. He will plan the final attack for tonight. Once you've fallen asleep, Miss Granger, a few members of the Order and I will be seated around you, ready to help you at moment's notice. Of course, the majority of the task falls into your hands—you will need to use the guided dream techniques you recently learned to rescue Harry and get out any necessary information."

A moment's silence filled the room after Dumbledore finished speaking, in which all three teenagers absorbed the words that had been said.

"What will Ron and I do, Professor?" Ginny asked.

"You and your brother will also stay in my office, and help if needed," Dumbledore replied calmly.

"When do we start?" questioned Hermione.

"Well, you may start by taking this potion," Dumbledore answered, standing up and grabbing the bright purple potion from the table next to the bed. "You'll have about half and hour before you start feeling the potion's effects and the other Order members will have arrived by then."

Hermione nodded, and took the cold, glass bottle from Dumbledore. Ron and Ginny watched anxiously as Hermione uncorked the small bottle, and poured its contents into her mouth. Hermione shuddered as she swallowed.

"It's feels like ice," she muttered.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, unfortunately most potions are unpleasant."

At that moment, the wooden door to Dumbledore's office opened, and Professor McGonagall walked in, followed by Lupin, Moody, and a giant black dog, which immediately turned into Sirius.

The teenagers and Dumbledore exchanged greetings the grim-looking Order members.

"Has Miss Granger taken the potion yet, Dumbledore?" McGonagall asked sharply.

"Yes, just now."

The others nodded, satisfied.

"Miss Granger, you may talk with Mister and Miss Weasley for a few minutes while I inform the others of how tonight will work," Dumbledore said, looking at the three teenagers.

The Weasleys and Hermione nodded, and instantly turned towards each other.

"Good luck, Hermione," Ginny said, squeezing Hermione's hand.

"Yeah, good luck," Ron replied, not looking at Hermione.

Hermione took a deep breath and replied, "Thanks. I really hope this works."

"We know you can do it Hermione; we believe in you," Ginny reassured Hermione.

Hermione gave both of them a weak smile.

By the time Dumbledore and the others had finished conversing, Hermione could feel herself nodding off.

"If you will, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the bed that awaited her presence.

Hermione nodded and shakily stood up. Once she had climbed into the bed, the others gathered around her in chairs that Dumbledore had conjured.

"Good luck, Hermione," said Lupin.

"Remember the dream guiding techniques," Moody growled.

"Yes, I will," Hermione responded.

"We'll be here the entire time, Hermione," Sirius stated. "Just focus on your task for tonight."

Hermione nodded again. "I will," she answered before falling into a deep sleep.


	13. Confusing Emotions

_Hermione found herself walking down a dark corridor of an old mansion. A doorway stood to her right, and as Hermione looked into the deserted room, she spotted a grimy window; Hermione could tell that she was on at least the third floor of the manor. There would be no jumping out of windows to escape from what ever dangers lay ahead of her. _

_As she continued to walk, Hermione noticed a flickering light near the end of the hallway. Cautiously, just as every other time, Hermione continued on towards life-threatening situations. _

_When Hermione neared the end of the hallway, she vaguely became aware of her thoughts drifting away from her; "What am I supposed to be doing?" she asked herself. "Something about guiding this—this thing," Hermione muttered. "And once I find someone, I need to do—to do something…"_

_A cackling laugh split through the air—air that seemed to drip with evil and misery. Although Hermione could not remember why she was at this mansion, just being inside its walls gave her the creeps._

_"She will be here tonight!" a voice rang out that sounded as if it came from downstairs. _

_"My Lord, that is wonderful!" a second, slightly higher voice, responded. "_

_"They think they can outsmart me," the first, wicked voice shouted, laughing once again. "But what they do not know is that I know more than they will ever know!"_

_Hermione shuddered when she heard both voices laughing together. "At least I'll be safe for a little bit as long as they're not on this floor," thought Hermione. She did not know who these people were, but she had sense enough not to make her presence known._

_Hermione made the rest of the journey down the hallway even more slowly and cautiously than before. She barely looked to either side of her as she walked down the corridor, but Hermione noticed gruesome and eerie looking painting and statues on both sides of her. _

_Once she finally arrived at the source of the flickering light, Hermione warily peered through the old, wooden door that stood slightly ajar. At the same time as Hermione stepped forward, the floor under her creaked noisily. Hermione gasped and quickly jumped back; every muscle in her body was tense, poised for an attack. However, an assault did not occur. After standing as still as a statue for close to a minute, Hermione let her muscles relax, thinking that the noise from the floorboard had not distracted the two people downstairs because both of them were once again talking loudly. _

_"When will she be here, My Lord?" the higher voice asked._

_"That, I cannot say, Bella," the first voice replied; Hermione could almost see this man smirking as he talked. _

_"Should we not have someone guarding the boy?"_

_"No, that will not be necessary. It will be more fun this way."_

_Hermione shuddered again, and pushed the door in front of her ever so slightly open. She gasped for the second time in minutes as she saw what lay inside the room. _

_Seeing that nobody else stood inside the room besides the one laying on the floor, Hermione shoved the door open the rest of the way and quickly jumped over the squeaky floorboard, hoping that the floor she landed on would not give out. She landed on her feet silently in a crouching position, and immediately stood up. The figure on the floor didn't give any sign at all of Hermione's presence._

_Hermione, of course, had immediately recognized the dark-haired figure on the floor the second she had looked through the crack between the door and the wall. _

_"Harry!" she whispered urgently, noiselessly sprinting to his side. "Harry, please, wake up!"  
_

_Hermione glanced up and desperately searched the room for something that would help. Instead, Hermione saw a fireplace ablaze with flames on the left side of the room, and sea-colored wallpaper walls caked in dust and dirt. There were no windows, and no furniture atop the hard, warn-out, wooden floor. The entire room held a feeling of wickedness, and Hermione couldn't blame her best friend for not being in excellent health in this room._

_Hermione sat by here best friend for minutes, trying to wake him up. She tried shaking him, calling his name, and even doing a couple spells. None of them worked. After nearly a half an hour, Harry finally started to stir._

_"Harry!" cried Hermione, for the tenth time that night. _

_"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, in an extremely hoarse voice. "I thought I told you to keep yourself safe, and not to worry about me."_

_"Harry, I couldn't just leave you to die!" Hermione half shouted, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. _

_"Shh, Hermione," Harry whispered. "You don't want _them _to hear you."_

_"Harry—"_

_"Hermione, you can't keep risking your life like this. You're too important to the wizarding world. You've got to fight for our side, Hermione."_

_"Listen Harry, I can't help having these dreams, or whatever they are," Hermione whispered urgently, suddenly remembering why she was at the manor. "I've been taking a potion from Dumbledore to stop them for a while now, but not tonight. Tonight I planned to be here—I knew what I was getting into. Dumbledore and others from the Order are standing by, watching to make sure everything goes as planned. He said that if we had any hope of finding you, I'd have to have one last dream and retrieve some valuable information. As painful as these dreams are for me—seeing you all in this state—I knew I had to go through with it."_

_"Hermione," Harry sighed after a pause, looking into her eyes. "I don't know what to say to that." _

_Hermione smiled, almost forgetting where she was and what situation she was in._

_"Harry, I—"_

_A creak on the floorboards altered both Hermione and Harry._

_"Hermione, you have to get out of here now!" said Harry, his eyes widening._

_"But Harry, I need to know—" Hermione replied. "I can't leave without knowing—"_

_Harry shook his head. "Go Hermione, I'll see you later!"_

_"Harry, I **have **to know, where are we?"_

_Instead of telling her to get to safety again, Harry looked surprised._

_"This place does not seem to be anywhere. It is in the middle of nowhere."_

_"But Harry, it has to be somewhere, a place just can't be nowhere!" Hermione responded, bewildered; had she been in normal circumstances, Hermione might have taken some time to think about what Harry was saying._

_Harry shook his head as two figures bolted into the room._

_"Aha!" one of them cried. "Silly girl, did you really think that you could escape from us?"_

_Hermione froze, wishing she hadn't hesitated. She wanted Harry to get away from this place, but since that was not an option Harry was stuck here for now. She, on the other hand, did not belong here, and needed to get away as soon as possible._

_"I have been trying to catch you for months, and now I have finally succeeded, Mudblood," the male figure, Voldemort explained. _

_"And why have you been trying to capture me?" Hermione asked, her voice squeaking and her hands shaking. She could practically feel waves of concern flowing from Harry._

_"Because, silly girl, you are the final part of my plan. I need you for the final part of my spell—a spell that will make sure I am immortal," Voldemort replied, walking closer to Harry and her. Bellatrix, the female voice Hermione had heard talking before, stood near the door, sneering._

_Hermione shivered, wondering how she was going to get out of this situation. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to have thought of this already. Weak as he was, Harry had managed to sit up in the corner of the room diagonally across from Hermione. When Hermione looked over at him, he had begun to stand up, drawing Voldemort's and Bellatrix's attention away from Hermione._

_"What are you doing, Potter?" Bellatrix cried as both she and Voldemort strode closer to Harry, away from the door._

_Without thinking, Hermione jumped up and ran for the door. _

_"She's getting away!" Hermione heard Bellatrix cry as Hermione ran into the hallway. _

_Distantly, Hermione heard a loud "thump" that she hoped wasn't Harry falling back over, and a shout of "Catch her!"_

_Hermione blindly ran throughout the halls and rooms of the manor, knowing that someone was constantly chasing her. And then, just as she heard the footsteps closing in on her, Hermione felt herself floating away, into another dimension. The only thought she had was, "I'm going back."_

Hermione felt as if her entire body had been hit by a sac of rocks many times over.

"Ouch," Hermione said, as she opened her eyes and took in the scene around her. McGonagall, Lupin, Moody, Sirius, and Dumbledore stood around her, looking at her hopefully.

As soon as the events of the night came back to her, Hermione immediately started crying, and didn't even notice that Ginny and Ron were not there.

"Miss Granger, please," McGonagall started.

"Minerva, let her be," Lupin replied gently. "She's had a trying night."

"Hermione, before we tell you what happened on our end, we need you to explain what happened to you," Sirius explained kindly as he sat down on a chair next to her.

Hermione nodded.

It took some time for Hermione to tell the complete story, but eventually, she finished.

"Everything I did tonight was completely worthless, though," sighed Hermione. "I didn't even found out where Harry really was!"

"Ah, but that's were you're wrong, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "You did find out Harry's whereabouts tonight. In fact, tonight has been extremely important for Harry's case."

Hermione stared at Dumbledore. "But sir—how is it that where Harry said he was is an actual place?"

Dumbledore smiled and began to explain; everyone else in the room leaned in to listen to Dumbledore.

"I am not sure of Harry's exact location, but I do have my suspicions. The manor you described was once a real house, with occupants living in it. However, the manor has since then been enchanted and made Unplottable. No Muggle has touched nor seen the place for many years. Such a place is extremely hard to find, but possible if you know what you are dealing with."

"Now I would advise you to get a good night's sleep tonight in the Gryffindor Common Room. Ron and Ginny will be awaiting your arrival, I presume, and I trust they are dying to hear what happened to you tonight," said Dumbledore. "I asked the two of them to leave my office tonight for their own safety," Dumbledore added.

Hermione nodded. "What about Harry?" she asked eagerly.

"The rest of us," Dumbledore replied, gesturing to the adults in the room will continue to prepare for the mission to find Harry. We will go tomorrow, at a very early time in the morning, and hopefully return by nightfall. I have great confidence that we will find what we are looking for," Dumbledore finished, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Hermione, nodded, feeling happier than before. Even though she felt horrible from the night's events, she quickly headed back to the Gryffindor tower.

As she walked, Hermione hoped that Harry wouldn't be punished too severely for helping Hermione escape. His words rang in her mind over and over.

_ "Go Hermione, I'll see you later!" _

"'I'll see you later…'" Surely that meant Harry knew they'd see each other again.

Heart pounding, Hermione sped up. The prospect of seeing Ron was almost as great as seeing Harry again.

When Hermione stepped through the portrait hole, she immediately saw two heads of flaming red hair jump up and run towards her.

Ginny reached her first and hugged Hermione tightly.

"We were so worried Hermione!" the younger girl cried.

Hermione smiled and hugged Ginny back. Ron stood awkwardly in front of the two girls.

As soon as Ginny stepped back, Ron threw his arms around Hermione. At the same instant, Hermione and Ron looked into each others eyes and kissed.


	14. A Sleepless Night

It took about five seconds before Ron and Hermione realized what they were doing. Quickly, both of them broke apart and stared at the floor. Ginny stood watching them both, her hand clapped over her mouth. A bright red flush spread over Ron and Hermione's faces, and the two fifth years started muttering.

"…won't tell…"

"…especially Harry…"

"…just what we were thinking…"

"…oh no…what will Harry say…"

"…can't tell him…"

"Well, I'm off too bed," Ginny stated loudly, backing up. "You two can finish—er—celebrating in here if you want."

Both Ron and Hermione were too preoccupied to notice what Ginny said at first, but then, just as she had reached the stairs, they both cried, "Wait!"

"Ginny, you won't—er—tell anyone about—about—" Ron said in a strangled voice.

Ginny looked at Ron and Hermione. "I, well, of course not."

"Good, because, well, I don't it's a good idea—especially if Harry and I are—were—you know—" Hermione muttered.

An awkward silence fell between the three students then, and after a moment, Ron turned away and walked towards the boys dormitories while Hermione followed Ginny up the stairs in an embarrassed sort of way.

As Hermione climbed into bed, the events of the night flashed across her mind.

_Did she have feeling for Ron? Of course she did—she had too. Why else would she have kissed him after telling him that Harry could quite possibly return to their lives after he'd been gone for so long? Harry—oh god, what about Harry? She'd just cheated on him, hadn't she? And with his best friend, a nasty little voice inside her head reminded her. Did this now mean that she didn't—couldn't—be with Harry if—when—he returned? _

"What have you gotten yourself into, Hermione," she muttered to herself before falling asleep.

Although Ron usually fell asleep quickly, tonight was an exception. Just ten minutes ago, he'd kissed Hermione Granger—really kissed her. "He's going out with your best mate," Ron reminded himself. "But he's not even here, and hasn't been for months," thought Ron, and then immediately felt sickened with himself. He'd enjoyed the kiss; there was no point in denying it. He'd liked—_really liked_—Hermione for ages. Well, ever since second year. He'd been so worried about her when she had been petrified that he'd almost driven himself insane.

"What happens now?" Ron thought.

Ginny lay in her warm bed, forcing herself to stay awake. She was completely tired out from the day; but she had to figure some things out before falling asleep. She and Ron had paced around the common room all night, waiting for Hermione. After an hour, both of them had stopped speaking to each other and began muttering to themselves. Of course they'd both protested when Dumbledore asked them to leave his office, but agreed in the end. The success of Hermione's dream was too important to risk screwing up.

What did all this mean for her, now that Harry could most defiantly be returning to Hogwarts? As much as she hated to admit it, she'd almost gotten used to life without him—almost gotten used to the heartache, and the feeling of hopelessness. Is this how love worked? Ginny had always known she'd loved Harry—ever since she'd first met him she'd known that someday Harry would love her back as much as she loved him. They were meant to be, even if he couldn't tell yet.

"He's dating Hermione. You need to get over him and move on," she thought. "But what about tonight?"

She and Ron kissed. They'd both enjoyed the kiss—Ginny could tell. True to her word, she wouldn't tell anyone, especially not Harry, if he ever came back.

As she fell asleep, she vaguely thought that maybe Harry's return would bring changes—changes that she would like, and maybe even enjoy. Maybe what she really wanted was for Harry to come back to _her_.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all woke extremely early the next morning, despite the lack of sleep all of them had received. They'd all proceeded down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast, but all of them picked at the food on their plates.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Ron asked, looking up at the staff table.

"Well I suppose it's a good thing if he isn't here," Hermione replied. "This way, we know he's still looking—looking—"

"For Harry," Ginny finished, looking down at her plate.

"What if—" Ron started.

"Don't say it, don't even think about that."

"I wasn't going too—" Ron responded.

"Ron," Ginny said sternly, "just forget it."

"Oh, it's no use!" cried Ginny, pushing her plate away, after a minute of silence. "I can't concentrate, I can't think, I can't eat…"

"Me either," said Hermione, following suit.

"I've been thinking, what if Harry does come back? What's it going to be like for him?" Ron questioned quietly.

"I've been thinking too," Hermione said. "And don't you think it's going to be quite odd for Harry? I mean, he hasn't lived in the wizarding world—I mean really lived—since last June. I just think that everything will be a bit awkward at first."

"Yeah, as much as I want Harry back—and don't get me wrong, there's nothing I want more—sometimes I stop and think about what's going to happen? How are _we_ going to act?" Ginny stated.


End file.
